Mission to the Past
by Cassandra4
Summary: When the new peace in AC 197 is threatened, the Guardian of Time sends the Gundam pilots back to 20th century Tokyo to find the Sailor Senshi of the past so they can revive their future selves. Humor, unexpected romance, and even some seriousness. EDITED
1. Mission Accepted

Notes:  This fic begins a few months after Endless Waltz, in September, After Colony 197.  Duo and Hilde are _just friends._  In terms of Sailor Moon, it takes place shortly after the Outer Senshi have returned.  Sailor Stars (the fifth season) has not happened yet.  This is different from the anime, but it does happen in the manga.  For the most part, it is based on the anime, but I use several elements from the manga as well.  These will be noted at the end of each chapter.  Enjoy the fic!  **For those of you who have seen this before, it no longer uses the dub names for the Inner Senshi.**

Mission to the Past

Chapter One: Mission Accepted

Time:  Unknown

Place:  Forgotten

               The lonely green-haired soldier looked out through the Gate of Time.  She could see the group of people growing.  Soon, there would be enough of them to start a war again.  There would be more fighting, and killing, and bloodshed.  Those five warriors would again be called to arms.  And when peace had been won, it would just happen again, and again, and again.

               She wanted to scream.  The only person who knew about this was herself, and she couldn't leave her post to stop it.

               Her gaze shifted to her queen and fellow warriors, lying asleep.  She had tried countless times to wake them, but to no avail.  The only people that could were their past selves, but she could not tell them.  This was so frustrating!

               Suddenly, an idea came to her.  Perhaps, if she could not tell the Sailor Senshi of the past, someone else could.

               She held out her Garnet Rod and concentrated.  A hologram of her appeared.  She concentrated harder, and the hologram of Sailor Pluto walked through the gate of time to find the ex-Gundam pilots.  She had a mission for them.

*                            *                            *

L2 Colony, Late September, A. C. 197

               "Welcome.  You've Got Mail!"

               Duo Maxwell sat at his laptop and clicked on the "read" icon.  "You know, that stupid voice hasn't changed since AOL started," he said, sounding somewhat bored.

               Hilde Schbeiker looked at him.  "You mean it's been annoying people since the very beginning?"

               "Yep," Duo said.  "Let's see...something from Winnerboy04.  That's Quatre."  He opened the e-mail and read:

Hi, Duo!

I'm having a reunion at my summer home on Earth.  All of the gang will be there.  It's this Saturday, so please come, and bring Hilde.  See you there!

               It was followed by the address.  Duo read it thoughtfully.  "A reunion at Quatre's, huh?" he mused.  "Sounds great.  Come on, Hilde.  Let's get packing!"

               Hilde shook her head.  "I'll pack, and you call the airline."

               "How come?" Duo asked.

               Because I actually _fold _things before stuffing them in the suitcase," she replied.

               "Alright, whatever," Duo said.  "I'll go get the tickets."

*                            *                            *

               Quatre Raberba Winner surveyed his house.  It was funny, but he had never been to this summer home.  It had been built to fit his entire family, so naturally it would fit all his friends.  Lady Une and Zechs wouldn't be able to come, but everyone else could make it.

               Quatre finished checking to make sure the house was neat.  Everything was in place, and the reunion would be absolutely perfect.  Except for a certain something, or rather a certain someone...

               "Oh, baby brother Quatre!"  A shrill, annoying, bubbly, overly cheerful voice sang out from the kitchen.  A tall, sandy-haired girl with an extra-bouncy ponytail and a smile that rivaled Duo's at his most cheerful skipped merrily into the room.  "Is everything ready?" she asked.

               Quatre sighed.  "Yes, Kelsey," he answered.  "Everything's ready.  But would you please not call me baby brother Quatre?"

               His hyper older sister asked, "Why?  After all, you _are _my youngest brother!"  She wrapped him in a tight hug.

               "Kelsey, I'm your _only_ brother,"  Quatre told her, struggling to get free.  He could feel his lungs begin to burn.  "It's embarrassing."

               "Oh, but you're my little baby brother," squealed Kelsey, hugging him even more tightly.

               "For crying out loud, I'm seventeen!"  Quatre yelled, using what little air he had left.  "Kelsey," he gasped, "can't...breathe...."  Finally, he broke free and took a deep breath.  "Ah, air!" he cried.  It felt so good in his lungs.  He regained his composure after a few breaths.  "Well, they should be here in about two hours," Quatre said, looking at his watch.

               "Oh, goody!" cried Kelsey gleefully.  "I'm so excited, baby brother Quatre!"

               Quatre sighed.  It was going to be a long two hours.

*                            *                            *

               Duo looked out his airplane window.  They were approaching the Earth, and would be landing soon.  Hilde was sleeping peacefully in the seat next to him.  Having no one to talk to, he decided to gather his thoughts on the past few months.

               After Marie Maia's army had been defeated, Duo and the other ex-Gundam pilots had decided to continue with their normal lives, none of which was entirely normal for a seventeen-year-old boy.  Duo had gone back to living with Hilde and running their business.  Trowa was back at the circus.  Wufei was working with Sally Po at Preventors HQ.  Quatre was still fixing things up in the Colonies.  Heero, surprisingly, had the most normal life out of all of them: he had a job and an apartment.

               He had school, too.  Quatre had decided they all should at least get high school degrees.  Naturally, everyone had protested, saying that they were too busy, but Quatre had been adamant.  He had even hired private tutors for Trowa and Wufei, who were both constantly on the move.  Through huge amounts of extra work, they were all caught up at long last, and were about to enter their senior year of high school.  After that, Duo, Heero, and Quatre were going on to high college.  Wufei and Trowa, on the other hand, were too busy, and were perfectly happy with their current lives.  _Or at least, as happy as either of those two could be,_ Duo thought, smiling to himself.

               "Please prepare for landing," the captain's voice announced.

               "Hilde, wake up," Duo urged, shaking her gently.

               "Hn?  Wha...?" she said groggily.  She looked at Duo.

               "We're landing," Duo told her.

               "Oh, really?" Hilde said, yawning.  "Alright."

               Duo smiled and turned to the window to watch their descent to Earth.

*                            *                            *

               "Come on, Miss Relena," Lucretzia Noin urged gently, shaking the sleeping blonde.  "We're here."

               "Huh?  What?" said Relena sleepily, struggling to open her eyes.  "Oh, yes, I'm coming."

               Noin stepped out of the pink limo and went around to help Relena.  "I can get out by myself," said Relena, opening the door and stepping out woozily.  She almost immediately felt her knees buckle and fell, being barely caught by Noin.

               "Miss Relena, are you alright?" asked Pagan, her driver.

               "Yes, Pagan, I'm fine," said Relena, sounding far from it.  "You can let go of me now."

               "I'm not holding on," Pagan told her, looking puzzled.

               "I'm the one holding on," said Noin.  She walked to Quatre's door, Relena leaning on her and Pagan following behind.  Noin rang the doorbell.

               DING-DONG!

               A tall blonde opened the door.  "Oh, are you our guests?" she asked.  Noin nodded.  The girl shouted over her shoulder, "Baby brother Quatre!  Your guests are here!"

               Quatre appeared in  the doorway, sighing.  "Please don't call me that," he begged of the girl.  Then he turned to the three on his doorstep.  "Hello, Relena, Noin, Pagan," he greeted them warmly.  "Come on in."

               "Hello, Quatre," Relena mumbled, then said something about "must work on...terra-formation project..."

               "No, Relena," Noin chided her, speaking as one would speak to a small child.  "We're not going to think about that now, remember?  We're on vacation."  She turned apologetically to Quatre.  "Do you have a room where she could lie down for a while?"

               "Sure," said Quatre.  He led them upstairs.  Relena protested at first, but finally gave up, letting sleep claim her.  Noin and Pagan had to practically drag her up to the room Quatre showed them.  They then laid her gently in the bed and left her to sleep in peace.

               Quatre closed the door carefully behind them.  "If that wasn't Relena, I'd say she'd been drinking," he told Noin.

               Noin smiled.  "Sorry about that.  It's just that our Vice Foreign Minister has been a little over-worked lately," she explained, sounding rather fond of the young politician.

               "I understand completely," Quatre said, also smiling.

*                            *                            *

               "So how do we get there?" asked Hilde.  She and Duo were standing outside the airport with their bags.

               "Let's see,"  Duo said thoughtfully.  "Quatre's place is about two and half miles..." he looked around, checked a map, and pointed.  "That way.  So, we should go by subway."

               They started walking towards the nearest subway station.  They had taken about three steps when it started to rain.

               Duo groaned.  "My umbrella's at home, what about you?" he asked Hilde.

               "I've got it inside my bag," said Hilde.  She knelt down and quickly took it out and opened it...or rather, tried to.  "Shoot, it's stuck!" she cried in frustration.

               "Here, let me try," Duo offered, taking it.  He tried to open and succeeded.  Sort of...

               "Duo!"  Hilde shouted.  "You broke it!"

               "I did not!" he protested.  "It was already broken!"

               "Whatever!" Hilde sighed in exasperation.  "Let's just hurry!"

*                            *                            *

               "Hello, Trowa, Catherine," Quatre greeted his friends.

               "Hi, Quatre," they both responded.

               "You never told me how you were able to take a break from the circus," Quatre said, ushering them in.  Noin and Pagan waved.  Trowa and Catherine waved back.  "Well?" Quatre persisted.

               They looked very sad.  "There was a horrible accident," Trowa told his blond friend.

               Catherine nodded.  "One of the elephants got scared in the night.  A scared elephant is not a fun elephant.  Especially when he scares everyone else."

               "They trampled everything in sight," Trowa said.  "No one was seriously wounded, but the tents were destroyed."

               "That's awful," said Quatre sympathetically, inwardly trying not to laugh at how, ridiculous it sounded.  "Well, at least everyone's okay."

               Trowa nodded.  "That's right.  Is anyone else here?" he asked.

               "Yes," Quatre said.  "Relena's upstairs sleeping.  She's beat from being so overworked."

               "That poor girl," said Catherine.

*                            *                            *

               "Due to an unfortunate accident, all trains have stopped running for the next five hours," a voice over the PA system announced.  "We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.  Thank you for your cooperation and have a nice day."

               "I don't believe this!" Duo yelled.  "This really isn't our day."

               "So what do we do now?" Hilde wondered.

               "I guess we try the bus," Duo decided, sighing.  "Let's go."  The two walked out into the rain.

*                            *                            *

               "Who else is here?" Dorothy Catalonia asked Quatre, hanging up her coat.  She had arrived at the same time as Wufei and Sally Po.

               "Let's see," Quatre said.  "Noin, Pagan, Relena, though she's upstairs, Trowa, Catherine, and you three," he finished.  "Oh, and then there's Kelsey."

               "Ooh!  Baby brother Quatre, are these more guests?" squealed a tall, blond, hyperactive girl that came bounding into the room.

               "Speak of the devil," Quatre muttered under his breath.  "Dorothy, Wufei, Sally, this is my sister Kelsey.  Kelsey, these are Dorothy," Wufei, and Sally."

               "Great, another woman," Wufei groaned.  Sally gave him a pinch.  "Ow!"

               "I thought you weren't going to start with that today," said Sally.  "You said you'd behave yourself."

               "Geez, what are you, my mother?" Wufei said.  "Fine, I'll behave!"

               "So the only ones missing are Duo, Hilde, and Heero?" Dorothy questioned, choosing to ignore Sally and Wufei's bickering.

               "Heero?  What about Heero?" a voice sounded from upstairs.

               "Go back to sleep, Relena," Noin shouted.  "He's not here yet!"

               "Yes," said Quatre in response to Dorothy's question.  He looked out t the rain, pouring faster every minute.  "I hope they're okay in this weather," he mused.

               "I'm sure they're fine," Sally assured him.  "After all, they can take care of themselves."

*                            *                            *

               "Dang it!" Duo yelled, along with certain highly inappropriate four-letter words.  "We missed the last bus going in our direction for the next three hours!"

               "And I don't have nearly enough money for a cab," said Hilde.

               "Neither do I," Duo said.

               "I guess the only thing left to do is walk," Hilde reasoned.  "Two and a half miles.  In the pouring rain.  With our luggage."

               "Oh, goody," said Duo, dripping sarcasm.  "I've always wanted to do that.  Yippee.  Let's get started right away."  The two started their long trek to Quatre's house.

*                            *                            *

               DING-DONG!

               "HEERO!" Relena screamed.  She bounded down the stairs, bounded to the door, and opened it, all before you could say, "I'm going to kill you."  Sure enough, there stood Heero with his umbrella.  Relena grabbed his arm and yanked him inside, then threw her arms around him.  "I'm so glad you're here!"  She then stood back and allowed him to hang up his coat and umbrella.  Quatre marvelled at how quickly she had known of and responded to Heero's arrival.

               "Am I the last one?" Heero asked.

               Quatre shook his head.  "Nope.  Duo and Hilde still haven't gotten here."

               Heero rolled his eyes.  "Figures.  Duo's always late."  
               "True," Quatre admitted.  "But the rain's getting worse.  Do you think they're okay?"

               "You worry too much," Heero told him.

               Suddenly, a girl with a gigantic smile skipped into the room.  "Baby brother Quatre, who's this guest?" she gushed.

               Heero gave Quatre a look that showed clearly what he thought of the "baby brother" part.  "I take it this is one of your sisters?"

               Quatre sighed.  "Yes," he admitted.  "This is Kelsey.  She's, um, cheerful," he said, trying to be nice despite the fact that he was ready to strangle her if she called him "baby brother" one more time.  "Kelsey, this is Heero Yuy.  He's, um, not cheerful."

               "How cheerful, exactly, is she?" Heero wanted to know.

               "Very cheerful," Quatre told him.

               "More cheerful than Duo?"

               "Yes.  Much more cheerful than Duo."

               "Oh, boy."

*                            *                            *

               "Hilde?"

               "Yeah, Duo?"

               "I just want to make this clear: sometimes, life sucks."

               "Keep walking, Duo."

*                            *                            *

Much later...

               DING-DONG!  
               Quatre opened the door.  There stood an extremely angry, extremely tired, extremely wet Duo and Hilde.  They walked in, panting.

               "What happened?" Trowa greeted them.

               "Well, first," Duo began, "it started to rain.  Then, there was an accident on the subway.  Then bus was gone for the next three hours.  Then we didn't have enough money for a taxi.  So we walked two and a half miles in the pouring rain.  Needless to say, it has not been a good day."

               "Was anyone hurt in the accident?" Quatre asked innocently.

               Duo glared at him, looking as if he was about to go into his "God of Death" mode on his blond friend.

               "Uh, why don't you two go upstairs and get changed?" Quatre suggested nervously.

               Duo glared at him again, then stormed upstairs, with Hilde at his heels.  "Whew," Quatre exhaled.

               They returned a few minutes later, looking dryer and much happier, especially when Quatre came in with hot cocoa.  Soon, everyone was talking and laughing, filling each other in on what had been going on in their lives, and just being glad to see each other again.  All of a sudden, Duo gave a very theatrical gasp.

               "What is it?" Quatre asked, less concerned than he might have been, since Duo had a tendency to overreact.

               "Do my ears decieve me?" Duo said, like a very bad over-actor.  "This surely cannot be!  It is not possible!  Is the world coming to an end?  Did Heero, yes, Heero I'm-so-unemotional-I-can't-tell-the-love-of-my-life-how-I-feel, Heero look-up-stoic-in-the-dictionary-and-you-see-my-picture, Heero I've-smiled-maybe-once-in-my-life, just LAUGH?  This is truly unbelievable!"

               Heero looked patiently at his American friend.  "Are you done yet?" he asked.

               Duo thought about it.  "Yeah, I think so," he replied.

               "Good," said Heero.  The conversation reserved.

               It wasn't just Heero, Duo realized.  It was all of them.  Heero's eyes were calm content, holding none of the deep sadness or burning anger that they used to.  Wufei was much more relaxed, with all of his old tension gone.  Quarte's grief was no longer obvious in his eyes and smile.  Trowa no longer radiated coldness.  When Noin smiled now, it showed real happiness.  Dorothy seemed to have finally gotten over her rage.

               And as for himself?  Duo decided that, surrounded by his friends, he was finally happy, and had been for only a short but sweet time.

               "Okay, everybody who wants more cocoa, raise your hands!" Kelsey chirped.  Everyone raised a hand.  "Oh, dear, I can't carry that many cups at once," she fretted.

               "I'll help you," Duo offered, getting to his feet.  He and Quatre's Mihoshi-like sister walked into the kitchen, then stopped dead at what they saw.

               There stood a tall, green-haired young woman in a sailor outfit and short skirt, carrying a large, key-shaped rod.  She didn't seem to notice them, and kept looking around the room, seeming a little lost.

               Duo shut his eyes.  _Okay, _he thought to himself.  _I'm going to count to three, and when I open my eyes, she's not going to be there.  One, two, three!_  He opened his eyes.  She was still there.  Duo turned around and walked back into the living room.

               "Quatre?" he called nervously.  "There's a very strange woman in your kitchen."

               "A strange woman?" Quatre repeated.  "Could it be one of my sisters?"

               "Well, I never thought GREEN HAIR ran in your family!" Duo yelled, feeling more than slightly freaked out.

               "Green hair?  No, the only one that dyes her hair is Brittany, and I'm pretty sure hers is pink right now," Quatre mused, getting up to see.  Everyone followed.

               "No, that is definately not one of my sister," Quatre pronounced, as everyone stared at the strange woman.

               She turned to them with garnet-colored eyes.  "Are you the Gundam pilots?" she asked them calmly.

               "Not anymore," Heero told her, almost angrily.

               A brief smile flickered across her face, but the sadness never left her eyes.  "No," she agreed, "not anymore.  But if certain people have their way, you may be forced to become Gundam pilots once again."

               The effect of her words was instantaneous.  Everyone seemed to stop breathing.  All of them were mentally reliving the war, the horror, the grief, the killing, the death.  At that moment, they were all more afraid than they'd ever been in their lives, afraid not of facing death, but of causing.

               Duo was the first to regain his voice.  "Y-you can't be serious," he said.  "There's no way."

               "I'm dead serious," the woman said.

               "But how?" Relena asked.

               "There is a small but growing group of people who would start the war between the Colonies and the Earth Sphere all over again," the woman told them matter-of-factly.  "They are slowly but surely gaining power.  Soon they will be ready to make their move, and the terrible year of After Colony 195 will be repeated."

               "Why are you telling us this?" Trowa demanded.  "Who are you?"

               The sad smile crossed her face again.  "Forgive me for not introducing myself."  She knelt on one knee.  "I am Sailor Pluto.  I have something to show you."  She stood up and held her key-shaped rod in front of her.  A huge orb appeared, and the rod projected images into it:

               _A horrible war...destroying everyone, everything...people dying...young women...soldiers, but somehow more...hopeless, futile fight...people laughing...a cruel, wicked laugh, full of hate...a crystalline light...the evil war was gone...where were the warriors?...also gone, sealed away..._

The images stopped.  Sailor Pluto looked at them again.  "That was the capture of my queen and fellow warriors, the Sailor Senshi," she said bitterly.  "Only I remain free, but I am not free, for I have to guard the Gate of Time."

               "The Sailor Senshi," Quatre murmured to himself.  "I've heard that name before.  It was in a legend, I think.  Something about a millennium of peace."

               "The Silver Millennium," Sailor Pluto told him.  "Yes.  And the second Silver Millennium, led by Neo-Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo and the Sailor Senshi.  But corrupt people made a pact with the evil forces, and they brought an end to that peaceful time.  The evil was banished, but the queen and Senshi were sealed away in a cryogenic freeze, never to awaken.  The Silver Millennium was soon forgotten, and the Sailor Senshi became an obscure legend."  She fixed her blood-red eyes on them.  "But it's all true.  And unless they are reawakened, history will continue to repeat itself, and true peace will never be achieved."

               "I still don't see what you want with us," Wufei snapped.

               "I have a mission for you," she said.  "I want you to go back in time to when the Sailor Senshi were your age.  I cannot tell you who they are, for you must find them yourselves.  When you have, bring them here.  Only they can reawken their future selves and bring peace to this world."

               The ex-Gundam pilots stared.  "You're nuts," Duo said finally.

               "Time travel is physically impossible," Trowa said.

               "Physically, yes," Sailor Pluto admitted.  "Magically, no."

               "There's no such thing as magic," Wufei said.

               Sailor Pluto smiled as if to say, "Oh, really?"

               "If it'll bring peace to this world, do we have a choice?" Quatre wondered.

               "Actually," Sailor Pluto said, "you don't have a choice anyway.  I'm going to do this whether you like it or not."

               They looked at each other.  Heero shrugged and said, "Mission accepted."

               Sailor Pluto held her staff high, and with that, the five boys were gone.

               "No!" cried Hilde.  "They can't be gone!"

               "Heero," Relena murmured, silent tears running down her cheeks.  "He's leaving me again.  Why?"

               "Come on, Relena," said Noin gently.  "Let's go."  She, Pagan, and Relena started toward the door.

               "They're off to fight for us again," Sally said softly.

               Dorothy seemed to be in a daze.  "Treize once mentioned the fallen kingdom of Crystal Tokyo," she said as if in a trance.  "He said OZ always destroyed kingdoms, that Crystal Tokyo had been the first in a line of many.  I didn't know what he was talking about.  I didn't believe him."

               "Baby brother Quatre's gone," Kelsey whimpered.

               Catherine stood angrily, fists clenched.  "It isn't fair," she hissed vehemently.  "Why do they always have to fight?  Why can't someone else do it for once?  Why do we have to just stay here, helpless?  Haven't they suffered enough?"

               "There isn't anything we can do," Relena said dully.  "We can only wait."

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *

Notes: Well, what did you think?  Not too awful, I hope.  E-mail me with your comments and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.  No flames, please.  If you disagree with me, tell me nicely or don't tell me at all.  

FYI: "Senshi" is Japanese for soldier or warrior, and is what they translated as "Scout" in the English translation.

Disclaimer:  Very sadly, I do not own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or Tenchi Muyo!, nor do I own any of the characters.  However, I DO own Kelsey.  She is MINE.  You can't use her without MY permission.


	2. Settling Down

Notes:  Here's the second part!  I use the original Japanese names for the Senshi.  For those of you who have been exposed only to the NA dub, the names are as follows: Usagi=Serena/Sailor Moon, Ami=Amy/Sailor Mercury, Rei=Raye/Sailor Mars, Makoto=Lita/Sailor Jupiter, Minako=Mina/Sailor Venus, Chibi-Usa=Rini, Haruka=Amara/Sailor Uranus, Michiru=Michelle/Sailor Neptune, Setsuna=Trista/Sailor Pluto.

Mission to the Past

Chapter Two: Settling Down

               "Where the heck are we?" Duo demanded.  He and the other four ex-Gundam pilots, plus Sailor Pluto, were in a cloudy area.  The only things that were there were fog and two immense double doors.

               "You're in the fourth dimension, the Gate of Time," Sailor Pluto told them calmly.  "Through these doors lies your destination.  But beware: hold on tight to each other's hands, for you can easily be separated, and should that happen, there would be no way out.  You would wander around for all eternity."

               "That's reassuring," Duo muttered sarcastically.

               "Now, go to find the Sailor Senshi!" Sailor Pluto commanded.

               The door opened.  Duo grabbed onto Trowa's hand, Trowa onto Heero's, Heero onto Quatre's, and Quatre onto Wufei's.  Together they stepped forward into the void.

               THUNK!  The doors closed behind them.

               "YAAAAAAAHH!!" Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Heero screamed.

               "YEEEE-HAAAA!!" Duo yelled happily, louder than the other four combined.

               After a few moments of screaming and flying through seemingly endless space, another set of double doors, identical to the first, appeared.  They opened automatically and the five teens tumbled out...

               ...and down.

               Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei landed in a heap on the ground.  Heero managed to grab on to a not-very-sturdy branch.  Most unfortunately, it happened to be the same branch Duo grabbed on to.  Heero's eyes widened.  "Oh, --"

               CRACK!  The twig snapped.  Heero and Duo joined the heap.

               Everyone then proceeded to untangle themselves and get up.  "That was a roller coaster ride from heck," Wufei muttered.

               "Really?" Duo said.  "I thought it was fun."

               Wufei glared at him.  "You would."

               "My hand," Quatre whimpered.  "Heero, you practically broke it."

               Heero shrugged.  "Sorry.  But she said to hold on tight."

               "Well, she didn't say to cut off my circulation, did she?" Quatre retorted.

               "You think _you_ had it bad?" Trowa said, rolling his eyes.  "Duo here nearly made me go deaf with his yelling."

               "I wasn't _that_ loud," Duo said indignantly.  "You just have sensitive ears, that's all."

               "Has anyone stopped to wonder WHERE THE HECK WE ARE?" Wufei yelled, startling everyone.  They all looked around.  It seemed to be an ordinary enough neighborhood, but where?  And, more importantly, when?

               Two girls in school uniforms consisting of blue pleated skirts and sailor tops walked by, chatting and laughing.  Heero walked right up to them.  "Where are we?" he asked.

               One of them gave him a funny look.  "Uh, like, in Tokyo?"

               "What year?" Heero demanded.

               "Like, 1995?" the other said.

               "Thank you," Heero said.  The two girls walked on, saying something about "what a weirdo."  Heero went back to his friends.

               "Well?" Trowa said expectantly.

               "We're in Tokyo in the year 1995," Heero told them.

               "What?" Duo yelped.  "No way!"

               "Guess time travel's possible after all," Trowa remarked.

               "No kidding," Wufei muttered.

               "So what do we do now?" Quatre wondered.

               "I guess we find a place to stay," Heero said, still amazed.

               "How about there?" Duo suggested, pointing to a large, five-bedroom house with a "For Sale" sign on the lawn and a person standing next to it looking desperate.

               "Convenient," Trowa noted.

               "A little _too _convenient," Wufei said suspiciously.  No one paid attention.

               They talked to the person, signed some papers, paid (well, actually, Quatre paid), and the house was theirs.  They went to inspect their new living quarters.  They had wanted to before, but the person had been so desperate, she let them have the house for half price if they'd buy it right away.  Naturally, this made them suspicious, but the house was actually very nice.

               Inside, they found a note.  It read:

Dear ex-Gundam pilots,

               To save you hassle, time, and money, I have positioned you in front of this house, as you know by now.  I have also furnished it.  Your rooms are copies of your bedrooms in your homes.  I allowed you each to bring some of your money with you, as well as some of your possessions and clothes.  They are already here.

               It is a Sunday.  School is already in session, as it is late September.  I suggest you go enroll yourselves in various schools nearby.  Don't forget: the Sailor Senshi are your age right now.

               Thank you again for agreeing to help.

                                                                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                                                        Sailor Pluto

               "That was very thoughtful of her," Quatre said after they had finished reading the note.

               "Well, it was the least she could do after she zapped us back into a couple of centuries before we should exist," said Duo.

               "Let's go upstairs," Trowa suggested.  They all agreed.

               Upstairs, they found that their rooms were indeed perfect copies of their rooms back home.  Heero went into his, turned his laptop on, and in a few minutes was looking at a list of nearby schools on the Internet.

               "Okay," he said finally.  "The four main schools in the are Grass Valley High, Crossroads High, Mugen Gauken Academy, and Brookdale Private School.  Quatre, how much money do you have?"

               Quatre checked.  "Not that much," he said.

               Heero rolled his eyes.  "I mean, how much compared to how much a normal person would have?"  
               "Oh.  In that case, a huge amount, I guess."

               "Good.  In that case, we can afford the two private schools."  Heero looked at the list again.  "Alright, who wants to go where?"

               "Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe," Duo chanted, closing his eyes and pointing at the list.  "Catch a tiger by the toe.  If he hollers, let him go.  Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe.  My mother said to pick the very best one and you are IT!" He opened his eyes and found that he was pointing at Grass Valley High.  "Guess I'll go there."

               "Brookdale is closest, so I'll go there," Wufei said, not really caring.

               "I once went to a school called Mugen, so I may as well go there," Heero shrugged.

               Quatre looked at Trowa.  "I guess that leaves you and me at Crossroads."

               "Yeah," Trowa agreed.

               "Here are the addresses," Heero said, pointing.  "Let's go enroll ourselves, then meet back here."

               "Alright," they all agreed.  They left to go their separate ways.

*                            *                            *

               The next morning, Heero got up early, made himself breakfast, and walked off to his first day of school.  Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa got up a little while later and did the same thing.  Duo, on the other hand, woke up when his alarm clock went off, turned it off, and went right back to sleep.

               Having reached Mugen, Heero checked his watch.  _Five minutes before school starts, _he thought to himself.  _Better check on Duo._  He walked to the nearest pay phone, dropped in some coins, and dialed their number.

               RING! RING! RING!

               Duo grudgingly opened his eyes.  "Stupid phone," he muttered, walking to the kitchen to pick it up.

               RING!  RING!  RI-

               "'Lo?" Duo mumbled sleepily into the phone.

               "Duo, this is Heero," said the familiar voice on the other end.  "You have five minutes to get to school, or you'll be late for your first day.  Good-bye."

               "Bye," Duo mumbled, hanging up.  He started to walk back to his room, when suddenly what Heero had said hit him.  "Five minutes!" Duo yelped, now full of energy.  "Oh, man!"

               He raced to his room, got dressed in record time, and raced back out the door, not even bothering to stop for breakfast.  The only thought in his mind was, _If I run as fast as I possibly can, maybe I can make it..._

               Meanwhile, on the other side of town...

               "EEEEEEEEEEEE!!  ARTEMIS!  I'm late!  Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!"  Mina Aino yelled as she got dressed.

               "I tried to," Artemis, her white cat, complained.

               "Oh, no, if I'm late again, I'll get detention for sure," Mina wailed.

               "It's your own fault," said Artemis.

               Mina completely ignored him.  "Come on, let's go!" she cried, dashing out the door.  "Oh, I've got math first period!"

               Suddenly, Mina tripped and ran smack into someone.  "Artemis!  Why you little--huh?"  She looked at the boy she had run into.  "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized.  "I thought you were someone else.  Here, let me help you up."  She stood and offered her hand and he took it.  Mina noticed the uniform he was wearing.  "Hey!  That's the uniform from my school!  Are you new?"

               "Yeah," the boy said.  "The name's Duo Maxwell.  What's yours?"

               "Oh!" she cried.  "How silly of me.  I'm Mina Aino."  She looked at her watch.  "Three minutes.  If we really hurry, we can maybe make it.  Come on!"  They took off.

               As they were running, Mina studied the boy.  He was an inch or so taller than her, as most people were.  He had big Prussian blue eyes and a long brown braid.  He wasn't bad-looking.  No, he certainly wasn't bad-looking.  Not at all.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  Mina felt her cheeks go hot.  She looked away.

               Duo looked at the girl.  She had icy blue eyes and long, pale blond hair tied back with a cheerful red bow.  She was a little shorter than he was, which was unusual.  She was very pretty.  Duo averted his eyes, embarrassed.

               "Yes!  Made it!"  Mina cheered as they slid through the gates just as they closed behind them.

               "Barely," Duo added.  "Well, I'm off to the admissions office to find out what class I'm in."

               "And I better head to math," Mina said, making a face.

               "Uh, where exactly _is_ the admissions office?" Duo asked.

               "Oh, just go straight down that hall," Mina told him, pointing.  "Well, maybe I'll see you later."

               "See ya," Duo said, walking down the corridor.

               Mina headed to her math class and slid into her seat just as the teacher, Ms. Komitsu, called her name on the role call.

               "Here," Mina said.  She yawned.  Oh, why did school have to start so early?  She was so tired.

               "Class, today we have a new student," Ms. Komitsu announced.  "Come in, Duo."

               Mina perked up.  It had to be the same boy she had run into.  Sure enough, in walked the very same boy, looking less nervous than most people would on their first day at a new school.

               "Class, this is Duo Maxwell," Ms. Komitsu told everyone.  "I hope you will all make him feel welcome."  Then, taking notice of his long braid, she said to him, "Duo, I'm afraid we don't allow boys with long hair in our school."

               Duo blinked and stared at her incomprehendingly.

               "Duo, you're going to have to cut your hair," she clarified.

               "No," he said, quite simply.

               "Duo, cut your hair."

               "No."

               "Duo, long-haired boys are not allowed in this school."

               "So?"

               "You are a long-haired boy."

               "And?"

               Ms. Komitsu was becoming visibly frustrated by now.  "Duo, cut your hair!"

               "No!"

               This continued for some time.  Mina yawned again and laid her hand on the desk.  She felt her eyelids grow heavy.  Surely it couldn't hurt to close them...just for a little bit...

               The next thing she knew, a black-haired girl next to her was shaking her.  "Huh?" Mina said groggily.

               "Mina, math class is almost over," the girl told her.

               "It is?" Mina looked at the front of the room.  Duo and Ms. Komitsu were still arguing, but the latter was clearly weakening.

               "Cut your hair!"

               "Over my dead body!"

               "That could be arranged," Ms. Komitsu said fiercely under her breath.

               "I'm not going to cut my hair!"

               "FINE!" the teacher nearly screamed.  "Don't cut your hair!  See if I care! But you WILL stay for detention all this week!  So HA!"  Ms. Komitsu stood, pointing triumphantly at Duo and looking somewhat deranged.  The class shrank back in their seats, afraid she was going to explode.

               "Okay," said Duo calmly.

               RING!

               The bell rang.  Ms. Komitsu stormed out of the room.  A new teacher entered.  Duo checked his schedule.  He had Advanced English, one of the few classes he would have to leave his homeroom for.  He wasn't looking forward to it, since the only person he knew in the school was Mina, and he didn't think she would be in Advanced English; it was only for those fluent in English.

               But luck was with him, it seemed.  As he walked out of the door, Mina was right behind him.  "Hey," he greeted her.  "You're in Advanced English, too?"  
               "Yeah," she said.  "I spent six months in England a few years back, so that's how I became fluent.  What about you?"

               "Oh, I'm American," Duo explained.

               "So Maxwell is an American last name?"

               Duo nodded.  "Yeah."

               Mina smiled.  She felt very glad that Duo was in Advanced English with her, but she couldn't quite say why.

*                            *                            *

               Over at Mugen, Heero was having a much more normal first day of school.

               "Class, this is Heero Yuy," the teacher chirped.  "Say hello, Heero."

               "Hello," Heero obliged.

               "Hello, Heero," his bored-sounding classmates responded.  
               "Heero, are you familiar with the school yet?" the teacher asked.

               Heero shook his head.  "No."

               "Well," the teacher said, "we go from nursery school up through graduate school.  Each section of school is assigned certain floors, with the nursery on the bottom and the graduate school on top.  The high school stays on the tenth through twelfth floors.  Any questions?"

               Heero shook his head again.

               "Good.  You may sit in the back, right in that seat."  She made it sound as if she were doing him a big favor.  "Now, class, take out your science books."  Everyone groaned, but obeyed.

               Little did Heero know that two figures, a blue-haired girl and a tall blonde, were watching him from a distance, carefully deciding whether he could be trusted or not.

*                            *                            *

               "Class, today we have a new student," a depressed teacher droned.  "His name is..."-she checked a card-"...Wufei Chang.  Let's all welcome him to Brookdale.  Wufei, sit behind Raye," she said, pointing to an empty desk.  Wufei glared at her before following instructions.

               The girl in front of him, a long-haired Japanese girl, turned around.  "Hi," she said.  "My name's Raye Hino."

               Wufei sneered.  "That teacher is such a weakling," he grumbled.

               "Um, right," Raye said unsurely.

               "Turn around, woman," he said, spitting out the word "woman" like an insult.

               "Well!" Raye huffed.  "At least I'm not a idiotic, sexist, pig-headed, moronic jerk!"  She turned around.

               Wufei was almost sorry he had done that.  It had mainly been habit.  He didn't really believe all women were weak anymore, after interacting with Sally Po and Noin at Preventors HQ, and especially after those numerous arguments which Sally always won somehow.

               Oh, well.  Raye had been over-sensitive, anyway.

*                            *                            *

               "Hello, are you the new students?" a teacher greeted Quatre and Trowa.

               "Yes, we are, ma'am," Quatre said politely.

               "Alright, then," she said, clapping her hands for silence.  "Class, these are our new students.  Would you like to introduce yourselves?"  
               "I'm Quatre Raberba Winner," Quatre said.  It was a relief for him not to hear whispers around the classroom like, "_The_ Winner?  No way!"

               "Trowa Barton," Trowa said tersely, arms crossed.

               In the back of the room, Amy was trying hard to wake Serena.  "Serena," she hissed.  "Wake up.  New kids."  
               "Huh?  Oh," Serena mumbled, yawning and looking at them.

               "Oh, wow," Lita breathed, getting a familiar, dreamy look in her eyes.  "They're so cute.  They look just like my old boyfriend."

               Amy rolled her eyes.  "Lita, they look nothing alike.  How can they _both _look like your old boyfriend?" Lita ignored her.

               "Okay, Quatre, Trowa, you can take those empty seats in the back," said the teacher.

               The two boys walked to their seats.  Quatre found himself behind a pretty, blue-haired girl, and Trowa was behind a meatball-headed blonde.  Next to him was a tall brunette.

               The blue-haired girl and the meatball-head turned around.  "Hello," the former said politely.  "My name is Amy Mizuno."

               "Hiya!" said her friend.  "I'm Serena Tsukino!"

               "And I'm Lita Kino," the brunette introduced herself.

               "Pleased to meet you," said Quatre, then elbowed Trowa.

               "Nice to meet you," Trowa said, rubbing his arm.

*                            *                            *

               Hotaru looked at the boy.  He was so cute, and it was more than that.  He was so strong, and their was something fierce and wild about him, from his messy brown hair to his deep cobalt blue eyes.  Too bad he was three years older than she was.

               Hotaru sighed.  She wanted to get to know him, but she doubted it would happen.  She would have to admire Heero Yuy from afar.

*                            *                            *

               "Duo's late," Wufei snapped.  "He said he'd meet us here right after school, and we've been waiting for ages!"

               "He probably got detention for being late," Heero reasoned.

               "Speak of the devil," Trowa said.  Their braided friend was running up to meet them.

               "Hey, guys!" Duo called.  "Sorry I'm late.  I had detention."

               "For being late?" Heero said.

               "No, actually," Duo said.  Heero was surprised.  "For having long hair."

               "So you're going to have to cut it?" Quatre said sympathetically.

               "Heck, no!" Duo dismissed the idea.  "I'm just going to have detention all week, that's all.  It's not so bad.  At least, today it wasn't.  There was this girl I met, Mina Aino.  She had it for falling asleep during class.  She's nice.  Funny, too.  So, how were your days?"

               Heero shrugged.  "Nothing special."

               "Met a weak teacher and some weak students," Wufei growled.  "Other than that, okay, I guess."

               Quatre and Trowa exchanged glances.  "We met some, uh, interesting people," Quatre said.

               "Like Serena the meatball-head," Trowa said.

               "Trowa!" Quatre scolded.  "She was nice."

               "That doesn't change the fact that her hair is downright bizarre."

               Quatre ignored him.  "Then there was Amy, the girl genius."

               "Girl genius?" Heero said.  "What do you mean  by that?"

               "Her IQ's about three hundred," Trowa stated.  Heero, Duo, and Wufei's eyes bugged out.

               "Yeah, that was our reaction, too," Quatre said.  "But she's very down to earth, and not snobby at all."

               "So, no one had a terrible first day, right?" Duo said.  "That's good."

               Wufei shrugged.  "I guess."

               "Come on, let's go," Trowa said.  "I've got a ton of homework to do."

*                            *                            *

               "It's time for Study Buddies!" Amy sang out happily.

               Everyone else groaned.  "Do we _have _to, Amy?" Serena whined.

               "Yup!" Amy said cheerily.  They were at their usual location in Raye's temple.  Today, their group included Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and Rini, which was a bit unusual.

               "Michiru, I don't see why we have to do this," Haruka muttered.

               "Oh, come on, Haruka, it's a good way to study," Michiru said.

               "I study just fine on my own," Haruka said.

               "You know, there was a new boy in my class today," Raye said, suddenly remembering.  "He was a total jerk."

               "There were new students at Crossroads today, too," Lita said.  "They were so dreamy.  They looked--"

               "--Just like your old boyfriend," everyone else finished.

               Lita gave a slightly abashed grin.  "Well, yeah."

               "They were very friendly," Amy said.

               "Their names were Quatre and Trowa, right?" Serena said.  Amy nodded.

               "It must be new student day, or something," Michiru said.  "Mugen had a new boy in your grade today as well.  We got some strange vibes off of him, but I think it must have been a false alarm."

               "What was his name again?" Haruka said, trying to remember.

               "Heero Yuy," Hotaru said quietly.

               "Oh, yeah, that's right," Haruka said.

               "You know, it's a funny coincidence," Mina said.  "There was a new boy in my class today, too."  Mina felt her cheeks go hot at the memory.

               "Hey, Mina," Raye teased.  "You're blushing!"

               "Oh, um, it's just hot in here, that's all!" Mina said, trying to cover it up and failing miserably.

               "Funny, I think it's kind of chilly," Lita said, smiling mischievously.

               "Okay, spill it Mina," Serena said, leaning forward to hear the juicy stuff.  "What's he like?"

               "Well, he's very funny and sweet," Mina said.

               Serena rolled her eyes.  "I _mean, _what's he _look _like?"

               "Oh!" said Mina.  "Well, he's about an inch taller than me, with big blue eyes and a long brown braid.  Very, very cute."

               Serena was satisfied.

               "Come on, guys," Amy urged.  "We've got to study."

               "Hm, we're not getting a lot of work done," Michiru mused.

               "Told you we shouldn't have come," Haruka grumbled.

*                            *                            *

               Duo sat at his desk, trying futilely to do his homework.  As far as he knew, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei were working diligently in their respective rooms.  Heero had finished a short while ago, and was now on-line looking for information on the Sailor Senshi.

               Duo stared at the math problem he had been working on for the past ten minutes.  It wasn't a particularly difficult problem; he just couldn't focus.  His thoughts were elsewhere.

               He sighed.  He had never believed in love at first sight.  He figured anyone who felt that way was just being shallow, only looking at a person's looks.  He firmly believed that you had to know a person better before true love could be found.

               At least, that was what he _had _believed.  Now he wasn't so sure.

               A face appeared in his mind: ice blue eyes, golden hair, a sweet laugh.  Mina.  He shook his head.  _Stop it, _he told himself.  _You're stuck on a mission centuries before you should even exist.  You can't get to know anyone; it'll just hurt both of you._

_               You can't fall in love; you'll only break two hearts._

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                              *             

Notes:  Well, I hope that didn't bore you to death.  How'd you like it?  E-mail me, PLEASE!!  But remember, no flames!

FYI: Duo actually IS an inch taller than Mina.  He's 156 centimeters, or 5'1".  Mina's five even:).  Raye's school is an all-girls school in the manga, and it might be in the anime, but in the North American dub, at least, a male student from her school is shown, so it's okay for Wufei to be there...dunno how well that works.  Mina went to high school at Crossroads in the manga, but I don't know if that happened in the anime.  In Japanese schools, the students usually spend most of the day in one room, and the teachers change rooms, so that explains why Duo and Mina only had to leave the room for Advanced English.  Mina IS fluent in English; those six months in England took place while she was Sailor V, and this is shown in an episode that was kept out of the North American dub.  Most people know that either Heero or Duo has cobalt blue eyes, and the other one has Prussian blue eyes.  I asked someone who took an art course in college, and they said cobalt was much darker, and Heero's eyes are definitely darker than Duo's, so there's that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, nor do I own any of the characters.  I am not making any money out of this, but believe me, I wish fanfic writers could, because there would be a lot of rich people out there.


	3. Here Come the Daimons!

Mission to the Past

Chapter Three:  Here Come the Daimons!

               Deep underground Mugen Gauken Academy, a life form stirred.  It wasn't a natural life form; it had been genetically synthesized in a lab, in a test tube, for one evil purpose: to steal Heart Crystals.

               It was a Daimon.

               The Daimon decided to try calling out.  "Daimons, arise!" it yelled.  "Arise to gather Pure Hearts, to reawken the Sovereign of Silence, Mistress Nine, and serve our almighty master, Pharaoh Ninety!"

               Four other Daimons stood and walked toward the first, who surveyed its "troops."  "That's it?" it asked in dismay.  "Five of us?" It shrugged.  "Oh, well.  Five will have to do.  Now, what we need are some Heart Crystals.  I've already marked a target.  He's new to Mugen, our birthplace, and he is completely dedicated to any mission set before him, and will eliMinakote any obstacles set before him.  Who wants to steal his Heart Crystal?"

               No one responded.

               "Whoever does it will be greatly rewarded by our master!" cried the first Daimon.

               "I'll do it!" another volunteered quickly.

               "Good,"said the first Daimon.  "Now, I'm going to send you in a Daimon Pod."  It waved its arms and the volunteer was encapsulated in a Daimon Pod.  It flew up and above ground.

               The Daimon Pod soared over Tokyo, until it came to rest in one object: Heero's laptop.

*                            *                            *

               "Oh, man!" Duo cried, rushing out the door.  "I'm late again!"  He raced as fast as he could to school, wondering why school had to start so darn early.

               As he turned a corner, he narrowly missed repeating the previous morning's encounter with Minako, stopping just before running into her.

               "Hey, Minako!" he greeted the blonde.

               "Oh, hi, Duo," she said.  "Nice to see you!"

               Duo's heart thumped, and not just from his early morning dash: she was happy to see him!

               Minako checked her watch.  "Come on, we might just barely make it!"

               Duo smiled.  It would be a good day.

*                            *                            *

               Heero walked down the steps to his first period class, thinking about what he had found on the Internet the night before.  Apparently, the Sailor Senshi were female superheroes who fought evil monsters with magical powers.  He and the others had dismissed this as impossible; there was no such thing as magic or miracles, and monsters were only found in people's hearts and imaginations.  It couldn't be true.

               But then what about Sailor Pluto?  She had seemed real enough, and she had definitely used some sort of magic to send them back in time.

               Heero shook his head.  None of it made any sense.

               He was so busy thinking about this that he tripped on the stairs, falling a long way and landing painfully.  He cursed under his breath and tried his ankle.  It felt sprained.  Looking around, he saw that the hallway was empty--just his luck.

               A girl rounded a corner, a frail-looking, pale girl with pretty violet eyes and short black hair.  She gasped as she saw him sprawled on the ground, and rushed over to help him.

               He regarded her.  "Who are you?" he asked.

               "My name is Hotaru Tomoe," she said shyly.  "What happened?"

               "I fell down the stairs and sprained my ankle," Heero told her.

               The girl, Hotaru, seemed to be debating something important.  Finally she said, "Look, I can help you, but you have to promise me two things."

               "What do I have to promise you?" Heero asked carefully.

               "First, you can't tell _anyone _what I'm about to do," she said forcefully.  "And second--" she hesitated a bit, "--second, please don't be freaked out.  Please."

               She looked so desperate that, against his better judgment, Heero said, "Okay."

               Hotaru looked somewhat relieved.  "Alright.  Because I'm not some kind of witch, and I don't have a pact with the devil or anything like that.  I don't know how I can do this, but I can.  So...so just don't freak out."  She took a deep breath.  "Okay.  Which ankle is it?"

               "The left," Heero told her, feeling slightly bewildered.

               "Okay."  Hotaru closed her pale hands around his left ankle and concentrated.  Her eyes seemed to dim for a moment, then brightened again.

               Heero marveled at what she had done: his ankle was completely healed!  "How...how did you do that?" he asked wonderingly.

               "I told you, I don't know," Hotaru said, looking miserable.  "You're probably afraid of me now, aren't you?"

               "No," Heero said, surprised.  He freaked out, but not afraid.

               "You're not?" Hotaru said timidly.

               "Of course not," he assured her.  "Why should I be afraid of a power to heal?"

               She broke into a huge smile.  Tears of happiness filled her eyes.  "Oh, thank you!"  she cried, then ran down the hall.

               Heero stood up.  From the way she acted, you'd think that was the nicest thing anyone had every said to her.  Shaking his head in wonder, he walked to his class.

*                            *                            *

               "So what do you think, Michiru?" Haruka asked.

               "I honestly don't know," said Michiru.  "I'm getting strange vibrations off of him, but I can't tell for sure."

               "Either way, do you think she should have done that?"

               Michiru considered this.  "I don't suppose it did any harm."

               Haruka nodded.  "We should ask Setsuna about him.  She'll be able to tell more certainly."

               Michiru agreed.

*                            *                            *

               Usagi, Ami, and Makoto were sitting with Quatre and Trowa at lunch, along with some other friends of theirs.  Sounds of laughter and chatter filled the area, making it extremely loud.

               "So, what do you guys know about the Sailor  Senshi?"

               Usagi, Ami, and Makoto simultaneously choked on their food and coughed.  The question had come from Trowa, who was facing them squarely.

               Ami was the first to regain her composure.  "Why do you ask?"

               Trowa shrugged.  "No reason.  Just heard some things about them, that's all."

               "Well," Usagi said, "they're beautiful warriors who protect us from evil monsters and demons."

               Trowa and Quatre exchanged skeptical glances.  "Sounds like an urban legend to me," said Quatre.

               "The Sailor Senshi?" Makoto said.  "No way!  They're as real as it comes!"  
               "Uh-huh," Trowa said.

               "It's true!" Usagi's redhead friend, Molly, said.  "The Sailor Senshi have saved me several times in the past!"

               "Me, too!" agreed the class freak, Melvin.

               Quatre and Trowa exchanged another look.  This one said: "A lot of crazy people here, aren't there?"

               "Sailor Moon's the best by far," Usagi said in a burst of egotism.

               "Uh-uh," said Makoto angrily.  "Sailor Jupiter rules!"

               "No way," said Usagi indignantly.  "Sailor Moon's a million times prettier!"

               "But Sailor Jupiter's a billion times stronger!"

               "Well, actually," Ami interjected, "I think Sailor Mercury's the best."

               "What?!" yelped Usagi and Makoto together.

               "After all," Ami continued, "she's got the others beat by far in the brains department."

               Makoto and Usagi sulked.

               Quatre and Trowa watched this whole performance, somewhat amused.

               RING!

               The bell rang, and everyone went to class.

*                            *                            *

               _What a joke, _Wufei thought to himself.  _Sailor Senshi.  Hooey.  _He was walking down the hallways of his school at lunchtime.  _I can't believe it,_ his resentful thoughts continued.  _We're stuck centuries before we should even exist, searching for stupid girls who probably _don't _exist.  I mean, who ever heard of magical powers to fight monsters?  That's the sort of stuff fairy tales are made out of, and I hate fairy tales.  _He stopped walking, sensing someone behind him.

               He whirled around, then stiffened.  "Oh.  It's you."

               "I'm not any happier to see _you, _you know," Rei said, narrowing her eyes.

               Wufei started to storm off, but stopped, thinking, _Perhaps she knows something.  _"Rei," he called.

               She sighed.  "What?"

               He hesitated.  "Have you ever heard of the Sailor Senshi?"

               Rei rolled her eyes.  "Geez, you really aren't from around here," she said.  "_Everyone's_  heard of the Sailor Senshi.  They go around and save people from evil monsters."

               "So, you believe in them?" Wufei asked.

               "No duh," Rei said.  "Sailor Mars is the best, of course."

               Wufei was considering her response.  Rei was obnoxious, but he had thought she was reasonably intelligent.

               "So you think the Sailor Senshi are fake?" Rei said incredulously.

               "Yeah."  Wufei nodded.

               Rei cocked her head and got a strange look on her face, almost like she was prophesizing something.  "You'll see," she said.  "One day, they'll save you.  Just watch."

               "Whatever," Wufei muttered, then walked away.

               Rei watched him go.  "There's something odd about him," she said to herself.  "Very odd."  She shook it off and headed to her next class.

*                            *                            *

               "Hey, where do you live?" Minako asked Duo as they walked out of detention.  Minako had forgotten her homework, and Duo still had detention for not cutting his hair.

               "Oh, I live over on Greenwalk Boulevard," Duo said.

               Minako considered whether to walk with him to his house or not.  She decided to find out more first.  "Are your parents going to be home?"

               Duo cringed inwardly.  Now he had to figure out what to tell her about his "room mates."  "Well, actually, I don't have any parents," he said carefully.  "They died when I was very young."

               Minako looked stricken.  "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said sympathetically.  "I shouldn't have asked."

               Duo could tell that she really felt sad, unlike some people who would just pretend to care.  "It's okay," he reassured her.  "I live with four friends of mine."

               Minako decided not to press him any more, much to his relief.  Instead, she said, "Would you mind if saw your house?"  She ignored Artemis clawing at her socks.  She knew she would be late for Study Buddies, but the others wouldn't be _too _upset.

               Duo's heart jumped.  She wanted to see his house!  "Okay," he said, smiling.  "That'd be great!"

               Minako flashed him a quick smile.  "So, let's go!"

               They walked mostly in awkward silence, each feeling too shy to speak much.  When they reached the house, Duo said, "This is it."  He opened the door with his key and shouted, "I'm home!"

               "About time," said a voice from the kitchen.  Trowa emerged, then, noticing Minako, said, "Who's this?"

               "Oh, this is my friend from school, Minako Aino," Duo introduced her.

               "Hi!" Minako said cheerily, and gave a small wave.

               "Minako, this is Trowa Barton," Duo told her.

               "Nice to meet you," Trowa said politely.  He extended his hand, and she shook it.

               Quatre and Wufei came in.  Duo introduced them to Minako, and vice versa.  Then he asked, "Where's Heero?"

               "Upstairs on his laptop," Wufei told him.  "Where else?"

               "Duo, is that you?" Heero called down.

               "Yeah," Duo yelled back.  "Come down here, I want you to meet a friend of mine."  He wondered if Minako could tell he was about as nervous as he ever had been, having her at his house.

               "Coming," Heero called, getting up.  He clicked the "enter" key.

               "YAAAAAHH!"

               "That's Heero!" Quatre gasped.

               "Come on!" Trowa shouted, racing up the stairs, with Wufei and Quatre close behind.

               "Minako, you wait here," Duo told her, worried out of his mind, then raced after his friends.

               "Like heck," Minako muttered.  "It's sweet of him to want to protect me, but that was an 'I've-just-been-attacked-by-a-Negaverse-monster-and-am-having-something-of-my-essence-stolen-from-me' scream if ever I heard one."  She raised her pen to transform, but stopped, realizing something important.  "Artemis," she said slowly, "I've got to transform, but if I do, Duo will recognize me for sure!"

               "Just concentrate on having a mask," Artemis told her, "and you'll have your mask from your Sailor V days.  Give me your communicator.  I'll contact the others and tell them the same thing."

               "Okay," Minako agreed, very relieved.  She raised her pen again.  "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"  And in a few seconds, she was Sailor Venus, complete with red goggles.  "Hey, it worked!" she exclaimed.  Turning to Artemis, she said, "When the others get here, tell them the battle's upstairs."  She ran up to fight.

               The scene she found upstairs was a grim one.  A boy with messy brown hair was chained to the wall, breathing heavily.  In front of him was a small, red object: his Heart Crystal.  Standing and looking at the Heart Crystal, with a smirk on its ugly face, was a Daimon.

               Venus gasped.  "I could have sworn all the Daimons were gone for good!"

               The other four boys were looking with anger and fear from the victim to the culprit.  "What did you do to him?" Duo demanded.  "You...you...witch!"

               The purple-skinned Daimon, whose skirt bore a startling resemblance to a computer keyboard, rolled her eyes.  "Ignorant human," she hissed.  "Don't you even know when a Heart Crystal is taken?"

               "A what?" Quatre asked.

               "A Heart Crystal," the monster repeated impatiently.  "It's the very essence of your life.  Duh."

               "You killed him?" Wufei roared.

               "Well," the Daimon said, smirking, "he's not dead yet, but he will be very soon.

               "How dare you!" Duo yelled.  He started to run toward the Daimon.

               "Wait!  Stop!" Sailor Venus commanded.  She had been hoping not to get involved until the others arrived, but she couldn't let Duo get hurt.

               Duo obeyed.  He and the others, with the exception of Heero, stared at Sailor Venus.  Heero turned his head, too, but his breath was becoming shallow.

               "Who...who in the heck are you?" Trowa finally stuttered.

               "I am a champion of justice, defender of beauty, and goddess of love!" she introduced herself.  "I am Sailor Venus!  And I will throw down your punishment of love from heaven!"

               A collective gasp came from the four still-standing boys.  "Sailor Venus?" Trowa repeated.  "So she's a Sailor Senshi?"

               Venus winked.  "You got that right.  Now," she turned to the Daimon, "time to show you what a Sailor Senshi can really do!"  She prepared to launch her attack.  "VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"  Golden hearts shot out at her opponent, hurting her, but not causing serious damage.  "Uh-oh."

               "Hmmph!  How dare you!" shouted the Daimon.  "Take this!  SOFTWARE VIRUS!"  An electric shock beamed out from her hands, causing Venus to give a loud shriek of pain.

               "You'll pay for that!"  a voice came from the doorway of the room.

               "Sailor Moon?" Venus gasped.

               "In the flesh," came the answer, and sure enough, there was the meatball-headed soldier, along with the rest of the gang.  All of them were wearing masks, color-coordinated with the rest of their outfit.

               "You know," Uranus grumbled, "I'm stronger than she is.  I'm more dedicated than she is.  In a one-on-one fistfight, I could whip her butt.  So how come she gets all the glory?"

               "Are you all Sailor Senshi?" Quatre asked, amazed.

               "Yeah," Jupiter nodded.  One by one, they introduced themselves.

               "I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice!  And in the name of the moon, I will right all wrongs and triumph over evil!  And that means you!"

               "I am Sailor Mercury, protector of wisdom!  I shall drown out any evil!"

               "My name is Sailor Mars, soldier of passion!  You will burn at my hand, demon!"

               "Sailor Jupiter's the name, zapping bad guys is the game!  I'll punish you in the name of Jupiter!"

               "Guardian of time, I shall eternally purge the universe of evil!  I am Sailor Pluto!"

               "I fight for the future moon!  I am Sailor Chibimoon!"

               "I shall follow and stop the tide of evil in its tracks!  I am Sailor Neptune!"

               "Fast as the wind, king of the sky, I am Sailor Uranus, and I'm bored out of my mind!"

               "I am the soldier of death and destruction, Sailor Saturn!  You have no chance before me!"

               Duo's ears perked up at the word "death."  "Death?  Nice touch."

               Quatre had a more pressing concern.  "Isn't Sailor Pluto the one who brought us here?"

               Trowa thought about this.  "She's probably this one's future self, so she won't know us."  Quatre nodded.

               Sailor Pluto was startled.  _What is this? _she thought.  _These time-shifted auras...  _She had to save her thoughts for another time, however, for the battle was well underway.

               "JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"

               "MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

               The double attack hit the Daimon head-on.  "AAUGH!" she cried in pain.  "Die, sailor twits!  HARD DRIVE MELTDOWN!"

               Pluto and Mercury quickly met the attack with their own.  "DEAD SCREAM!"

               "MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"

               That attack sent the Daimon reeling.  It was clearly weakening, but so was Heero.  "INTERNET CRASH!"  That attack grazed the Sailor Senshi, but they weren't done yet.

               Sailor Saturn glanced worriedly at Heero, then turned to the monster.  "SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!"

               Sailor Moon and Chibimoon raised their kaleidoscopes.  "MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!"

               This should have killed the Daimon, but instead  it just laughed.  "Heh-heh.  I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve.  MEGA-UPLOAD!"  And with that, the monster was as good as new.

               The Sailor Senshi gaped for a moment, wondering what the heck they were going to do now.  Then Uranus blew her top.  "I've had about enough of this!  I've got a million better thing to do than stand here in a short skirt and toy with you.  Let's get rid of this quickly, Neptune.  SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"

               And with that, the monster was finally gone.

               "Why didn't we just do that in the first place?" Uranus wondered, then shrugged.  "Let's blow this joint.  Come on, Neptune."  The two Outer Senshi leaped out the window and sped away.  Pluto went shortly after them.

               "Come on, Senshi," Jupiter said.  "Our work here is done.  The six Inner Senshi followed after their more powerful allies.

               Saturn was the only one left.  Carefully, she took Heero's bright Heart Crystal and replaced it in his body, then, without a word, followed her fellow warriors.

               The four boys rushed to Heero's side.  "Heero!" cried Duo.  "Are you okay?"

               Heero slowly got to his feet.  "Yeah," he said dazedly.  "What the heck was that all about?"

               Duo shrugged.  "Beats me," he said.  "All I know is, the Sailor Senshi are real after all."

               "Weirdly enough," Trowa added.

               "That was pretty amazing," Quatre said.

               "Hmph," was Wufei's only comment.

               "Duo, what happened?" Minako faked concern as she came into the room.

               The braided teen turned to her.  "Some monster attacked Heero, and these Sailor Senshi people saved him, and it was really freaky."

               "Oh, is that all?" Minako said, sounding relieved.  Everyone else in the room gaped at her.  Seeing their shocked expressions, she added, "I thought it was something like a fire, or something, but a monster's no big deal as long as the Sailor Senshi are around, especially that Sailor Venus."

               Minako nodded.  "Yeah."  Then she asked Heero, "Are you alright?"

               Heero nodded, still very freaked out.

               "What did the monster do to you?" Minako asked.

               "Well, she, or it, or whatever, said something about removing a Heart Crystal thing," Heero remembered.

               Minako decided that if she knew too much, it would seem suspicious.  "A Heart Crystal?  What's that?" she asked innocently.

               Quatre searched his memory.  "Something like the essence of your life, I think," he said, doing his best to recall what the monster had said.

               "Oh, geez!" Duo said.  "I haven't even introduced you to Heero," he said to Minako.  "Minako, this is Heero Yuy.  Heero, this is Minako Aino."

               "Nice to meet you," Minako said, holding out her hand.

               "You, too," Heero said, taking her hand and shaking it a bit uncertainly.

               Minako looked at her watch.  "Oh, shoot!  I'm late to meet my friends!  I'm sorry, Duo," she apologized.  "I've got to go."

               "That's okay," Duo told her.  "I'll see you in school tomorrow, right?"

               "Yeah," Minako said.  "Bye, Duo!"

               "Bye, Minako," Duo called as she ran down the steps.  He watched her go with a dreAmi smile on his face.

               "Duo?" Trowa said.

               "Hello, Earth to Duo," Quatre said.  "Come back from La-La Land!"

               Duo snapped out of his trance.  "Huh?  What?"

               "Oh, nothing," Quatre said.  "Just making sure you were still here."

               Heero had a mischievous smile on his face.  "So, Duo," he said casually.  "Was that your crush?"

               "WHAT?" Duo yelped.  "Of course not!"

               Wufei nodded.  "Uh-huh.  Right.  I'm sure all girls send you off into Dreamland."

               "Shut up!" Duo said hotly.  "At least she's my age.  So if I had a crush on her, WHICH I DON'T, it would be normal.  Last time I checked, Sally Po was a good four years older than you are."

               Wufei felt his cheeks grow hot, and looked away.

               "Well," Quatre said brightly, hoping to avoid conflict, "let's get started cleaning this mess up."

               The five boys started to work.  But even as he helped out, Duo couldn't help wondering why the image of Minako's beautiful face wouldn't leave his mind.

*                            *                            *

               That night, Setsuna knelt in her living room, deep in concentration.  Her eyes were closed, her eyebrows bent in a small frown.  With her mind, she reached across the space-time continuum to her other self.

               Now she could see, with clarity, herself as Sailor Pluto, standing guard at the Gate of Time.  She poured out her whole self, until the two were one, and she could see her own memories of the boys with the time-shifted auras.

               In a matter of moments, she could see the entire story of the Gundams and their young pilots.  She couls see the way they had come to Tokyo, in this time, to save their world once again.

               Setsuna's garnet eyes opened.  She had seen what she needed to know, and she knew that she could not tell a soul.  If she did, it would only alter the course of history, even more than she had already.

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                              *

Notes: Well, same things apply.  E-mail, e-mail, e-mail!  No flames, please.

FYI: In the manga, Usagi and Chibi-Usa do the Moon Gorgeous Meditation together, as opposed to the show, where only Usagi does it.  "Chibimoon" mean "little moon," and is Chibi-Usa's original Japanese alter ego.

Disclaimer:  No, I don't own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or anything related to them, and no, I am not making any money from this.


	4. Dates Don't Grow on Trees! (And Neither ...

Mission to the Past

Chapter Four: Dates Don't Grow on Trees! (And Neither Do Heart Crystals)

               Heero walked groggily to school the next morning, yawning every few minutes.  He had stayed up until two in the morning, searching the Web for information on the Sailor Senshi.  Now that he knew they existed, he was doubly determined to find them.

               Maybe it was because he was so tired.  Or maybe it was because his thoughts were somewhere else completely.  Either way, he didn't see or hear the motorcycle coming until the driver yelled, "Hey, kid, look out!"

               Heero turned his head in the direction of the voice.  A tall, blond guy was racing on a motorcycle, straight for him!  He dove out of the way, just as the driver swerved in the opposite direction, barely missing a collision.

               The driver jumped off the bike.  "Oh, my God!  I'm so sorry!" he apologized.  "Here, let me help you up."  He reached out, grabbed Heero's hand, and pulled him to his feet.  "I'm really, really sorry."

               Seeing the taller boy's stricken expression, Heero reassured him.  "It's okay.  Really."  He started to pick up his scattered books.

               "Here, let me help you," the blond offered, not waiting for Heero's approval.

               "What's your name?" Heero asked the boy.  "I'm Heero Yuy."

               "Haruka Tenoh," he introduced himself.  Looking at his watch, he realized, "Oh, man, you're going to be late, and it's because of my carelessness."  Noticing Heero's uniform, he said, "Wait.  You go to Mugen, so why don't I give you a ride?"

               "On your motorcycle?"  Heero eyed the bike uncertainly; he'd seen Haruka drive.

               "Yeah!" Haruka said.  "Don't worry, I've been riding for years.  I know what I'm doing.  Plus, I've got an extra helmet you can use."

               Heero shrugged.  Hey, it couldn't be any worse than piloting Wing Zero through Earth's atmosphere while trying to stop a falling piece of the destroyed battleship Libra from crashing into the planet.  "Okay, sure.  Thanks."

               "Great!" Haruka tossed him the helmet and he put it on.  Haruka then mounted the motorcycle and motioned for Heero to do the same behind her.  Heero obeyed.

               "Just grab on real tight, okay?" Haruka instructed.

               Heero tensed, waiting for the bike to start up.  So close to Haruka, he realized something about him that he had missed before: _he _was a _she!_

               Heero felt the color drain from his face, then come rushing back, burning his cheeks.  However, he had no time to contemplate his embarrassing error, for Haruka had started the bike.

               VRROOOMM!!

               The engine roared to life, and Heero found himself holding on for dear life.  It probably wasn't nearly as fast as flying in a mobile suit, but it _felt _much faster.  In a mobile suit, you had tons of metal surrounding you, and, to some extent, protecting you.  Besides, bizarrely enough, Heero felt secure in a mobile suit.  He was used to it.  On a motorcycle, you were exposed, unprotected, except for a measly inch of metal strapped on to your head.  If you didn't hold on, you'd go flying.  You could feel the wind blowing your hair back, stinging your eyes.  It was intense, and frightening, too.  It was exhilarating.

               Within a few short minutes, they arrived at the school.  Heero got off the motorcycle and took his helmet off.

               "Ever been on a motorcycle before?" Haruka asked, smiling.

               Heero shook his head.

               "What did you think?"

               "It was intense," he admitted.  "But I enjoyed it."

               Haruka nodded her agreement, an excited spark in her eyes.  "I love it," she confessed.  "The thrill, the excitement, the danger even--it's awesome.  I can't imagine anything better.  Sorry," she added, a bit embarrassed.  "I guess I get carried away sometimes."

               "I understand," Heero told her.  "It's easy to see why you love it so much."

               Haruka grinned.  "Well, I'll see you around, Heero."  She walked into the building.

               Heero watched her go.  It was funny: she looked so much like a boy.  She even wore the boys' school uniform.  Oh, well..  Heero walked into school.

*                            *                            *

               "He's not an enemy."

               "Are you sure, Haruka?"

               "Yes, Michiru, I'm sure.  There's something weird about him, but he's not an enemy."

               "How can you be so sure?"

               "I can feel it.  Besides, we were alone.  If he were an enemy, he would have attacked me."

               "That's true.  So, do you think we should keep observing him?"

               "Nah.  Eventually, we'll be caught, and then he'll say we're stalking him."

*                            *                            *

               Hadesa, the chief Daimon, looked around angrily.  "She failed," she spat out.  "That weakling.  She didn't deserve to call herself a Daimon."

               Murmurs of agreement were uttered throughout the room.

               "So."  Hadesa, her anger cooling, but not leaving her eyes, took a step forward.  "Who wants to try next?"

               "Let me," another Daimon volunteered.  She knelt on one knee in front of Hadesa.  "I will not fail to collect a Heart Crystal to revive our master."

               "Good."  Hadesa'a eyes glittered evilly.  "Don't come back empty handed.  Bring back a Heart Crystal, or don't come back at all."

               "I understand," said the volunteer.  "I have already found a target."

               Hadesa didn't bother to ask who.  She simply gave the command: "Go."

               The Daimon disappeared.  In her place was a Daimon Pod.  She left to find her target: a teenager by the name of Trowa Barton.

*                            *                            *

               Heero, Duo, and Wufei walked home in the bright afternoon sun, comparing notes of how their day had been.

               "Well, I nearly got run over by a girl on a motorcycle," Heero remembered.

               "Are you okay?" Quatre asked, looking concerned.  "Were you hurt?"

               Heero shook his head.  "No.  The weird part was, I thought the girl was a guy," he admitted.

               Trowa gave him a skeptical look.  "How exactly did you make that mistake?"

               "You would, too, if you saw her," Heero insisted.  "She was wearing the boys' school uniform, for crying out loud."

               "So, you were late for school?" Wufei said.

               "No," Heero told them.  "She gave me a ride on her motorcycle.  It was a very intense experience.  Fun, too."

               "Did you catch her name?" Duo wanted to know.

               Heero racked his memory.  "I think she said it was Haruka Tenoh."

\              Suddenly, a boy with seriously bad hair and coke-bottle glasses popped up from out of nowhere in that weird, annoying way he has of doing.  "What?!" he yelled in a nasal voice.  "You met Haruka Tenoh?!"

               "Um, yeah," Heero said, eyeing the boy suspiciously.

               "And you rode his bike?!" the excessively excited stranger continued.

               "Yes," Heero said.  "And he's a she."

               The boy ignored that last bit.  "Can I shake your hand?" he asked, awestruck.

               "Sure," said Heero uncertainly.  He held out his hand.  The kid took it and pumped it energetically.

               "Oh, my God!" he cried. "I've touched someone who had the sacred privilege of touching Haruka Tenoh's bike!  I'll never wash this hand again!"

               "Who exactly _is _Haruka Tenoh?" Heero asked, becoming wary of the slightly deranged boy.

               The boy gasped.  "He's only the best racer Japan has ever seen!  He's amazing in any vehicle!  He's totally committed to his sport!  It's a joy to watch him race!"

               "She," Heero corrected.

               The very freaky boy ignored him.  He had a look of absolute euphoria on his face.  Tears of joy were streaming down his cheeks.  "I have truly been blessed!" he cried, and ran off happily.

               "Figures," Duo said, grinning.  "Heero can't even get run over normally.  It has to be by someone famous."

               "Who exactly was that?" Wufei wondered.  
               Trowa rolled his eyes.  "That was Melvin, the class freak."

               "Trowa!" Quatre reprimanded sharply.

               "Face it, Quatre," Trowa said.  "The boy's a freak.  Can you deny that?"

               "Well, no," the blonde admitted.

               "See?"

               "Anything else that's new?" Duo asked, then snapped his fingers.  "Oh, yeah!  Have you guys heard of that multi-school dance?  All the schools are having a social together.  Are you guys going?"  
               "Wouldn't be caught dead going," Wufei answered promptly.

               Heero and Trowa shook their heads.

               "Me, neither, probably," Quatre told his American friend.  "Are you?"

               Duo twiddled his thumbs nervously.  "Well, I'd rather go with a date, and there's this girl I'd like to maybe go with, but..."

               "But you're too shy to ask," Heero finished.  "Just ask Minako."

               Duo's jaw dropped.  "How did you know?"

               "It's pretty obvious," Heero told him.  "But you really should just ask her."

               "Go ahead," Quatre encouraged him.

               "Maybe I will," Duo decided.  Minako was very nice.  But he only liked her as a friend.  He was cautious of growing at all attached to anyone here in the past, so it wasn't as he was in love with her.

               Not at all.

*                            *                            *

               "So, who's going to the multi-school dance?" Usagi asked her friends at Study Buddies that afternoon.

               Ami looked up from her work.  "When is it?"

               "This Saturday," Makoto informed her.

               "I'm going with Mamoru, of course," Usagi said.  "What about you guys?"

               Makoto thought.  "Maybe I'll ask one of those new boys.  Hey, yeah!  And, Ami, you can go with the other one."

               Ami looked flustered.  "Oh, I don't think so, Makoto, I--"

               "I knew you'd agree," Makoto cut her off.

               Ami sighed.  She knew it would do no good to argue.  When Makoto made up her mind about something, she made it up for good.  She turned to Rei.  "Are you going?"

               "Good question," Rei said.  She yelled into some unknown region of the temple, "Chad!"

               "What?" came the reply.

               "Do you have a date for the dance yet?"

               "No!"

               "Well, you do know!"

               "Seriously?  Way cool!"

               Rei turned to her friends.  "Well, that was simple enough."

               "You can count us now," Haruka said, referring to herself and Michiru.

               "What about you, Minako?" Usagi asked.

               "Oh, I don't know," she said.  "I want to ask Duo, but I don't know what he'll say."

               "Do you think he likes you?" Makoto asked.

               "I honestly don't know," Minako confessed.

               "I say you should go ahead and ask him," Rei declared.  "Take the initiative!  Be a modern woman!"

               "Well..." Minako considered.  "Maybe.  Usagi, did you ever ask Mamoru out?"

               "Me?" Usagi blanched.  "Uh, I don't really remember.  Once we remembered everything from the Silver Millennium and all, it just seemed kind of natural for us to go out, and neither really asked.  But I agree with Rei on this one."

               "Same here," Makoto said.  "After all, you can bet I'll be the one asking Trowa, not the other way around."

               "I think you should definitely do it, Minako," Ami told her.

               "They're right," Michiru said.

               "Go for it," Haruka said.

               Her friends' certainty gave her confidence.  "Yeah," Minako decided.  "I will.  Tomorrow, I'll ask him."

*                            *                            *

               Duo was sitting across from Minako at a picnic bench on school grounds.  It was lunch break, and he was desperately trying to get up enough courage to ask her to the dance.  He had missed asking her when he ran into her that morning; he hadn't had another chance until now, and this would be his last chance until the end of the day.

               _Come on, Duo, _he urged himself.  _You can do this.  _"Minako?" he said tentatively.  He winced, hoping she couldn't hear the squeak in his voice.

               Apparently, she couldn't.  "Yeah, Duo?" she said, looking at him with her beautiful blue eyes.

               Duo felt his mind turn to mush at the sight of those eyes.  "I, er, was wondering, if, uh, you might, umm..." he couldn't get th words out.  "If you might be cold," he finished lamely.

               Minako shook her head.  "No," she told him.  "But thanks for asking."

               "Oh.  Okay."  _Real smooth, Maxwell, _Duo thought.  _That'll win her over for sure.  Okay.  We're going to try this again.  It's not that hard.  Millions of guys have done it.  Maybe billions.  If they all lived through it, so can you.  The worst thing that can happen is that she'll say no._

_               Oh, God.  What if she says no?  I'd die of humiliation!  What if she laughs in my face, or runs away screaming?  Calm down, don't panic.  Okay.  This is it.  _"Hey, uh..."_ Oh, God, those eyes again.  _"Would you, uh, I mean, would you like to, er, to, uh...move to a shadier spot?"

               "No, the sun's fine," she answered.  "Unless you would like to move."

               "No, I'm fine," he managed to get out.  He resumed inwardly belittling himself.

               _Alright, Maxwell.  This is **not **that hard.  If she says no, it won't be the end of the world.  Oh, God, yes it will.  No, that's not the way to think.  You'll live.  Besides, there's a good chance she'll say yes.  But maybe she won't.  If she doesn't, I'll have to transfer schools.  I'll have to move out of the country!_

_               No, you won't.  So, okay.  Deep breath now.  You can do this.  One, two, three!_

_               I can't do this.  No, come on!  It can't be any harder than piloting a Gundam through a line of enemy troops, already bleeding and low on fuel.  If you can do that, you can definitely do this.  Okay.  One, two, three!_

_               There's no way I can go through with this.  What if she rejects me?  What if--_

"Duo, do you want to go to the dance on Saturday with me?"

               Duo jerked his head up to look at Minako in surprise.  Somehow, he managed to respond.  "Yeah.  I'd love to!"

               "Great!" she said happily.

               "What time should I pick you up?" he wanted to know.

               "Oh, seven-thirty's fine, I guess," she said.  "Is that okay with you?"

               "Seven-thirty's fine," he said, still reeling from shock.

               RING!

               "Come on, let's go to class," Minako said, standing up.  Duo followed her example.  He was still in a state of shock.  She had actually asked him out!  He felt as though he was walking on air.

               Minako was focused on one simple thought: _He said the word 'love' to me!_

*                            *                            *

               "Hey , there are Quatre and Trowa," Makoto whispered to Ami as they walked through the halls of Crossroads.  "Let's go ask if they want to go to the dance with us."

               "Makoto, I don't--" Ami started to protest, but it was too late.  Her tall friend was already dragging her over to the two boys.

               "Hi, Quatre.  Hi, Trowa," Makoto greeted them.

               "Hello," Ami said softly.

               "Hi," they both responded.

               There would be no beating around the bush for Makoto.  She got straight to the point.  "Would you two like to double date with us for the dance?"

               "Say what?" Trowa said, looking surprised, to say the least.

               "Would you two like to double date with us for the dance?" Makoto repeated patiently.  "You know...Quatre goes with Ami, and Trowa goes with me."

               The boys looked at each other briefly before Quatre said, "Sure.  We'd be happy to."

               "Why not?" agreed Trowa.

               "Great," said Makoto.  "Okay, pick us up at seven-thirty.  See ya!"  She and Ami walked off.

               "Well, I guess we have dates," Quatre said.

               "Yeah," Trowa said, not exactly enthusiastically.

               "Oh, come on," Quatre said.  "It'll be fun."

               "Maybe," Trowa said, but he didn't look convinced.

*                            *                            *

               "Lah, di dah, dah di, hmm, hm hmm," Duo hummed dreamily, walking through the door of the house he was sharing with the others.

               Wufei groaned.  "Can I shoot him?"

               "No," Quatre responded automatically.

               "Duo, what the heck is wrong with you?" Trowa asked.  "More than the usual, I mean."

               "Nothing's wrong," Duo replied, the dreAmi look never leaving his eyes.  "Why would anything be wrong?  Everything is perfect."

               "Uh, Trowa and I got dates for the dance," Quatre told him, wondering how he would respond.

               "That's great," he congratulated them.  "Dates are a good thing.  A very good thing.  Lah, di dum."  He walked over to Wufei.  "Wufei, you're a swell guy, you know that?  Dah, dee doo."

               "Maybe he's drunk," Trowa suggested.  "Duo, have you been drinking?"

               "Of course I haven't.  Don't be stupid," the lovestruck American answered.

               "Well, then, what the heck is up with you?" Trowa demanded.

               "'What's up?'" Duo echoed.  "'What's up' is that I have a date with the most beautiful, the most amazing, the sweetest, the most perfect girl in the universe!"  By now, his grin was stretched from ear to ear.  He was looking about as happy as anyone had ever seen him.

               "So you asked her?" Quatre said.  "That's great!"

               "Well...no," Duo admitted.  "She ask me!  Isn't that awesome?  It means she isn't just polite.  She actually _wants _to go with me!"

               "Good going, Duo," Trowa commented.

               "Hmph," was Wufei's show of approval.  The smallest of smiles altered his features.

               "Say, where's Heero?" Duo wondered, finally coming out of his trance enough to notice his missing friend.

               Wufei rolled his eyes.  "Glued to his laptop since the second he finished his homework.  Don't bother going up there; he's probably heard your arrival already."

               "Geez, he's really working hard, isn't he?" Duo mused.  "Kind of makes me feel like I should be helping him."

               "Don't even try," Trowa advised.  "We offered to research while he took a break, but he wouldn't let us near his laptop.  He's a bit overprotective."

               "And don't think anything's going to change," Heero's voice called from upstairs.

               Wufei looked pointedly at Duo. "See what we mean?"

*                            *                            *

               A few hours later, Duo knocked on Heero's door, a tray of food in his hands.

               "Yeah, what?" Heero called.  Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Come in."

               "Boy, he sure knows how to make a guy feel welcome," muttered Duo, entering.  "Here, I brought you some food.  Even you need to eat sometimes."  He set the tray down next to the computer.

               Heero pried his eyes away from the screen long enough to examine the tray and its contents: neat little rolls of fish and rice wrapped in seaweed.

               "Sushi made by Trowa," Duo explained.

               His Japanese friend nodded.  "Thanks."

               "Think nothing of it," Duo said.  "Try to get at least five hours of sleep tonight, okay?"  He walked out of the room, knowing perfectly well that Heero wouldn't follow his advice.

               Heero continued to click away, eating his sushi while waiting for sites to download.  So far, he had found absolutely no leads.  Somehow, these Sailor Senshi had managed to fight for a long time without anyone discovering their identities.

               _Well, there's a first time for everything, _he thought determinedly.

*                            *                            *

               Rei awoke with a start.  She had been sound asleep, but a pressing concern buried deep within her unconscious had stirred her from her slumber.  Her groggy mind slowly realized what it was: somewhere, a Daimon was at work.

               She rolled over and reached for her communicator.  As usual, it was right there on her nightstand.  Turning it on, she whispered, "Senshi.  Hey, wake up, you guys.  There's a Daimon out there somewhere.  I can feel it.  Transform and we'll meet in McKenna Park, okay?"  She turned off her communicator and fastened it on her wrist.

               Carefully, she crept out of her bed and made her way out of the temple, hoping Chad wouldn't wake up; having him catch her in her nightgown would be a little more than embarrassing.

               Once she was out in the cold night air, she took her out transformation pen.  "MARS CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"  In a matter of moments, Sailor Mars ran off into the night.

*                            *                            *

               Makoto reluctantly got out of bed, still half-asleep.  She fumbled with her transformation stick before finally holding it up and shouting, "JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"

               Once transformed, she ran down the stairs and out the door of her apartment building, praying no one would see her.  As soon as she exited, she breathed a sigh of relief before sprinting toward McKenna Park.

*                            *                            *

               Ami slowly opened her bedroom door and tiptoed down the hallway, trying to wake up her mother.

               "Ami?  What are you doing?"

               The girl genius froze.  Her mother was standing sleepily in the doorway of her bedroom.  Ami managed to give her a quick smile.  "Oh, just getting a drink of water," she lied.  "Go back to bed."

               Ms. Mizuno yawned.  "Okay, sweetie."  She turned and headed back to her room.

               Ami let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.  The rest of her trip outside was uneventful, and she made it safely.

               "MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"

               Sailor Mercury took off to meet her friends.

*                            *                            *

               Minako tried to decide the best way to leave the house.  Her mom had supernatural hearing, so the blonde's chances of making it outside the usual way were slim to none.

               Which left the window.

               Minako peered outside.  She could probably reach the tree near her window if she tried, but if she didn't...well, it was a very long way to fall.  But she had no choice.

               She opened the window and tentatively swung her right leg out.  Her left leg quickly followed.  She held tightly to the wall.  The nearest branch that looked sturdy enough to hold her was just a few inches out of reach.

               She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.  Carefully, she brought her right leg up to the sill, then her left.  She was now crouching on the sill, ordering herself not to look down.

               "Are you crazy?" Artemis whispered.

               Minako ignored him.  Knees shaking, she stood up and leaned out.  Stretching as far as she could, she wrapped her fingers around the branch.  As she let go of her hold on the wall, she hoped with all her might that the branch was as strong as it looked.

               Gripping the branch tightly, she jumped and scrambled to get her legs on another branch.  In a few seconds, she was safely in the tree.  She climbed down, scraping herself a bit.  She ignored it; this wasn't the time.

               Standing on firm ground, she thanked her lucky stars that she had made it safely; however, even as she did, she knew the real danger was ahead.

               "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"

               From the windowsill, Artemis watched Sailor Venus go.

*                            *                            *

               "Usagi, wake up!" Chibi-Usa urged.

               "It's now use," Luna sighed.  "Here, let me try."  She went right up to Usagi's snoring face and gave her a hearty scratch with her claws.

               "EEE-mmph!" Usagi's shriek was cut off by Chibi-Usa's hand over her mouth.

               "Are you trying to wake up the whole house?" Chibi-Usa hissed.

               Usagi pried the younger girl's hands off and gasped.  "What do you think you're doing?"

               Luna rolled her eyes.  "Rei just called on the communicator.  There's a Daimon on the loose!"

               "Oh!" Usagi exclaimed, stifling a yawn.  "Well, then, let's go."  She groggily stumbled out of bed, out her bedroom door, and down the stairs, with Chibi-Usa right behind her.

               As the meatball-headed pair left the Tsukino house, Usagi grumbled about Daimon's appearing way too late at night.  "Alright, Chibi-Usa, let's get this over with."

               Together, they called out, "MOON CRISIS POWER...MAKE-UP!"

               Fully transformed, Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibimoon darted toward McKenna Park.

*                            *                            *

               "Let's go, Michiru," Haruka said.

               Her blue-haired friend nodded.  "Right."

               "Leaving without us?" came a voice from the doorway.

               Haruka whirled around.  "Setsuna!"

               "Glad you could make it," said Michiru.  "But who's 'us?'"

               Setsuna stepped aside, revealing young Hotaru.  "I picked her up on the way here."

               "Alright," Haruka said.  "Let's go!"

               The four headed outdoors, Haruka in the lead, Michiru close behind, and Setsuna keeping an eye on Hotaru in case the frail girl had an attack.

               "URANUS CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"

               "NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"

               "PLUTO CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"

               "SATURN CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"

               The Outer Senshi ran off into the night, prepared to fight evil.

*                            *                            *

               "So, is everyone here?" Sailor Mars asked.  Jupiter nodded.

               "I've used my computer to analyze the negative forces in the city," Mercury reported.  "I've pinpointed the Daimon's location to 536, Greenwalk Boulevard."

               Sailor Venus felt her heart race.  "That's where Duo lives!"

               "Isn't it also the same place as last time?" Neptune recalled.

               "That's right," Uranus asserted.

               "Let's go," Sailor Pluto said.  The Sailor Senshi ran toward the house, hoping they would make it in time.

*                            *                            *

               Heero felt his eyelids slowly close.  _No! _he ordered himself, forcing them to open.  _I can't fall asleep yet.  I haven't found anything.  _But he was wondering if, maybe, he had done enough for the night.  He looked at the lower right-hand corner of his computer screen.  Three thirty-seven A. M.  He probably should be getting some sleep soon.  He signed off and shut down the computer.

               "WAKEY, WAKEY!"  a shrill voice screamed in a nearby room.

               Heero's eyes widened as he tried to control his speeding pulse.  _What the heck was that?_ he wondered.  His brain was so cloudy from lack of sleep that it took a while for him to realize that one of his friends could be in danger.  Once it dawned on him, he dashed into the hall.

               Duo, Quatre, and Wufei were already there.  "What's happening?" Heero demanded.

               "Don't ask me," Duo told him.

               "That scream came from Trowa's room!"  Quatre exclaimed.

               Wufei thrust open Trowa's door, a gun ready in his hand.  Inside the room, they found an extremely freaky-looking monster woman with green skin.  She bore an uncanny resemblance to a digital alarm clock.  Trowa was pinned against the wall, and the monster was closing in on him.

               "Come on, my pretty," the monster jeered.  "Show me that beautiful Heart Crystal!"

               "Get away from me, freak!" Trowa cried.

               "I think not," the monster said.

               "Lay off of him!" Wufei cried, pointing the gun and pulling the trigger.  The monster whirled around and neatly caught the bullet.  Trowa tried making his escape while her back was turned, but to no avail.  The electric cords trapping him held fast.

               "Trowa!" Quatre cried desperately.

               "Is that the best you can do?" the monster sneered, dropping the bullet and crushing it under her high heel.

               "What the heck is that thing?" Duo said.  Everyone was now terrified.

               "I'm a Daimon, faithful servant of the Sovereign of Silence, Mistress Nine, and devoted follower of Pharaoh Ninety!" cried the Daimon proudly.  "And your Heart Crystal belongs to me!"  She lifted her shirt up to reveal a black star on her stomach.  A beam shot out from it and connected with Trowa's chest.

               "AAAH!" Trowa cried in anguish.  In front of him, a small crystal formed, identical to the one that had been stolen from Heero before.  His scream ceased.  His body slumped over, still pinned to the wall.  His breath came in ragged gasps.

               "TROWA!" cried Quatre.

               "Don't worry, leave it all to us!" came a voice from outside.

               The four boys looked out the window.  In a nearby tree stood the Sailor Senshi.

               "Oh, not again," grumbled the Daimon.  "Just when I thought I would have an easy job."

               "Sorry to burst your bubble," the same Senshi spoke.  "I am Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

               "I am Sailor Mercury, and..."  Her voice trailed off.  "You know, guys, this is really pointless, since I doubt the Daimon cares, and we're just wasting time.  I mean, that poor boy's life is draining away, and we're standing here introducing ourselves.  He's dying, for crying out loud."

               "Good point," acknowledged Sailor Mars.  "Come on, Jupiter, help me!  MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

               "JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"

               Sailor Moon and Chibimoon raised their kaleidoscopes.  "MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!"

               In a flash of light, the Daimon was gone.  Unfortunately, the explosion sent Trowa's Heart Crystal flying out the window.

               "Oh, no!" cried the Senshi.

               "Don't let it break!" shouted Venus.

               Uranus leaped down from the tree, diving for it and catching it a split second before it would have crashed on the ground.  She tossed it gently to Sailor Pluto, who then sent through the window.  Quatre caught it between his hands and replaced it in his friend's chest.  Color came back into Trowa's face, and he looked up at Quatre.

               "Are you okay?" Quatre asked.

               Trowa nodded slowly.  "Yeah, but...could you get me off this wall?"

               "Oh, for goodness' sake," Uranus exclaimed, rolling her eyes.  "Saturn, go help him out."

               Saturn nodded.  "Right."  She gracefully jumped from the tree through the window.  With one quick swipe of her Silence Glaive, she released Trowa from his bonds.  Then she exited, just as quickly as she came.  After joining her friends, they all bounded off, disappearing into the night.

               "You alright, Trowa?" Heero asked.

               "I'm fine," Trowa said.

               Duo gave a huge yawn.  "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to bed."  He walked out of the room.

               "Sounds like the first good idea I've ever heard from Duo," Wufei said, following the braided boy's example.

               Trowa walked over to his bed and collapsed on it.  He was asleep in seconds.  Quatre also left.  Heero stumbled out of the room, struggling not to fall asleep in the hall.

               As he passed Duo's room, he heard his friend stir.  For a brief moment, curiosity and sleep fought.  Curiosity won.  Heero stepped into Duo's room.

               The young American was asleep with a contented smile on his face.  As Heero left, he could hear Duo mumble, "Minako..."

               Heero rolled his eyes and went into his room.  Climbing into bed, his last conscious thought was, _I hope I don't act that stupid around Relena._

*                            *                            *

               The Inner Senshi had left to go their separate ways, and the Outer Senshi were walking to Haruka and Michiru's home.  "Setsuna," Haruka said suddenly.  "Did you see that boy with the messy brown hair in that bedroom?"

               "Yes, I did," Setsuna said.  "Why?"

               "He goes to Mugen," Haruka told her.  "And Michiru and I think there's something strange about him, but we don't know what."

               "My mirror won't tell me anything," Michiru added.  "We thought you might know."

               Hotaru stiffened and blushed.  The boy they were talking about was Heero.  Luckily for her, in the dark, no one could tell.

               Setsuna hesitated before answering.  She wanted to say, "Yes, there's something strange about him; he's from the future."  Instead, she said, "No, I didn't feel anything strange about him at all."

               "Oh.  Okay," Haruka said.  She shrugged.  "Guess we're just paranoid, then."

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                              *

Notes:  Well, I hope someone's still reading this.  Sorry about the fact that my titles are really stupid.  Titles aren't my thing, okay?  Hopefully, you find the content more original and entertaining.  As usual, e-mail me, PLEASE!  But NO FLAMES!  Especially, no flames from devoted fans of the Duo/Hilde match-up.  You have your opinions, and I have mine.

FYI:  Hadesa was named after Hades, Greek god of the Underworld.  McKenna Park is a real place in the Sailor Moon universe; it's the park where Nephlite and Molly met in the first season (English episode #19, I think).  Keep that in mind, because that's not the last time I'm going to use McKenna Park.  Greenwalk Boulevard is a street name I made up.  I know that in the anime, Sailor Saturn doesn't have a transformation, and I'm not sure whether any of the Outer Senshi ever use Cyrstal Power.  In the manga, however, they all do.

Disclaimer:  As you probably know by now, no, I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, and no, I'm not making any money from this.


	5. Romance is in the Air

Mission to the Past

Chapter Five: Romance is in the Air

               "EEK!" Minako cried.  "I'm so nervous!  What'll I wear?"

               It was six-thirty on Saturday night.  Ami, Makoto, Minako, Usagi, and Rei had decided to get together at Usagi's house to get ready for the dance.

               "Calm down," said Usagi.

               "That's easy for _you _to say!" Minako wailed.  "Your date has been your boyfriend for the past two thousand years!"

               "True," Usagi acknowledged.

               "Okay, now, let's see," Minako said, surveying the assortment of clothes she had brought.  "I want to show off a little, but if I'm too revealing he'll think I'm forcing myself on him.  Oh, what to do!"

               "Just wear an outfit that _you _feel comfortable with," Ami advised.  "Choose something that shows the real you."

               "Ami's right, as usual," Makoto said.  "Though I've never heard her give fashion advice before."

               Minako looked over her choices one more time before selecting a creAmi yellow, off-the-shoulder dress.  It was tied with a white sash at her waist.  The skirt fell to her knees.  Her shoes were white flats, and her nails were done in gold.  The only jewelry she wore was a simple, heart-shaped gold locket on a thin chain.  Her hair was in its usual bow.

               The hour really seemed to fly by.  Before they knew it, the doorbell was ringing.

               "AAH!" Minako cried.  "They're here!"

               "Ami, Makoto, your dates are here!" Usagi's mom called up.

               "Coming!" the two girls cried back.  They rushed downstairs, Makoto in her long forest green dress, and Ami wearing a baby blue skirt and a modest matching top.

               "Hi, Trowa," Makoto greeted her date.

               "Hello, Quatre," Ami said shyly.

               "Hello, Makoto," Trowa said.

               "Hi, Ami," said Quatre.

               "Okay, girls, have fun!" Mrs. Tsikino said.  "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!  Bye now!"  The four teens exited as Ms. Tsukino shut the door behind them.

               Less than five minutes had passed before Mamoru showed up to pick Usagi up.  "Hiya, sweetheart!" Usagi greeted her boyfriend.

               "Hi, Usagi," he said.  "Let's go."  They walked off, Usagi hanging on to Mamoru's arm.

               "You treat her right, you hear me?" Usagi's dad yelled.  "Keep it decent!  And don't even _think _of--"

               "Have fun, you two," Mrs. Tsukino cut him off, saving her daughter from complete humiliation.

               Next to arrive was Duo.  Minako was so nervous by this time that she nearly fainted.  However, she managed to walk downstairs calmy and greet her American date with a smile.  "Hi, Duo."

               "Hi.  I brought you something," he said shyly, holding out a yellow rose corsage.

               Minako thought it amazing that she didn't melt right then and there.  Somehow, she managed to take the corsage and pin it on.  "Thank you so much," she said.  "It's beautiful.  And it goes perfectly with my dress."

Duo grinned, happy that she liked it.  "Well, shall we go?" he said, doing a mock bow.

"Yes, we shall," she answered, doing a mock curtsy in return.  They started to walk to the Community Center, where the dance was being held.  Luckily, it was nearby.

               As they turned a corner, they ran into Chad, who was looking very frazzled.  He was also looking extremely unusual in a suit, and Minako thought Rei would find it a change for the better.

               "Do you have the time?" he asked frantically.

               Duo checked his watch.  "Seven thirty-one," he told him.

               Chad panicked.  "Oh, man!  I'm late for Rei!  I was supposed to pick her up at seven-thirty!"  He raced for the Tsukino house.

               Duo looked a bit puzzled.  "He's only a minute late."

               "Yeah, but to Rei, that may as well be an hour," Minako told him, full of sympathy for poor Chad.  Rei was probably going to explode at him.

               Sure enough, a few seconds later, Minako and Duo were stopped in their tracks by a shrill scream coming from the Tsukino residence.

               "HOW COULD YOU!  YOU'RE LATE!  YOU WORTHLESS SCUMBAG!  I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

               "Rei, I didn't--"

               "NO EXCUSES!"

               Duo and Minako exchanged glances.  "Maybe we should hurry," the latter suggested.

               Duo nodded.  "Let's."

               They got to the Community Center without running into Rei, who was pulling poor Chad by his ear.  The dancing hadn't begun yet.  Minako looked around for her friends and spotted them standing at the refreshments table, with the exception of Rei, of course.  "Come on," Minako urged Duo.  "I'll go introduce you to my friends."  The two made their way to join the others.

               "Hi, Duo," Trowa, standing with Makoto, greeted him.

               "Hey, Trowa, Quatre," Duo said.  "You know Minako, right?"  They nodded.

               "Guys, this is Duo," Minako introduced him to her friends.  "Duo, this is Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and, oh, there's Rei."  The very grumpy fire priestess came to join he friends, followed by a miserable Chad.

               Quatre suddenly noticed a familiar figure lurking in the shadows.  "Hey, is that Wufei?" he asked.

               Duo and Trowa followed his gaze.  "Unbelievable," Duo muttered.  "It _is _him.  Wufei, what are you doing here?  I thought you weren't going to come."

               "I changed my mind," the Chinese teen answered.

               "What about Heero?" Trowa asked.  "Is he coming?"

               "Oh, you might see him around," Wufei said, smiling mysteriously.

               Before anyone had time to wonder what that meant, a horrible, loud noise erupted from the speakers.

               "YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH."

               Everyone in the room covered their ears.

               "YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH."

               "Make it stop," some people wailed.

               "I THINK I DID IT AGAIN."

               The DJ felt someone tap his shoulder.  He turned around and found himself face to face with a brown-haired, cobalt blue-eyed, very angry boy.  "Whaddya want?" the DJ asked.

               "Excuse me," the boy said.  He drew back his fist and punched the DJ in the face.  Then he stopped the awful excuse for music.  "We apologize for any inconvenience we have caused, and that includes hearing damage," he said into the microphone.  "Now we'll play some _decent _music."  Decent music started.

               Duo blinked.  "What is it?" Minako asked.

               "Oh, nothing," Duo said.  "It's just that I know that DJ."  He took her hand and led her on to the dance floor.  "Come on, let's dance."

               They danced for a long time, stopping every now and then to get some refreshments and talk.  All their nervousness was completely gone.

               After a while, Wufei, who had danced, but not much, got a sneaky idea.  "Hey, Heero," he called.

               Heero looked up.  He was enjoying being the DJ, much to his surprise.  "What?"

               Wufei said mischievously,  "I'm sure Duo wouldn't mind if you played something slow."

               Heero smiled.  "No, I'm sure he wouldn't mind at all."  He switched to a slow dance.

               Almost without thinking, Minako and Duo leaned close.  Minako rested her head on his shoulder.  They swayed slowly, lost in their own little world.  Minako felt blissfully happy.  _Now I know how Usagi feels when she's with Mamoru, _she thought.  _It's the most wonderful feeling in the world._

After that dance, Heero played some more fast songs, and few more slow ones.  Duo found himself wishing the night would never end.

               But around ten-thirty, people started to leave.  Quatre, Trowa, Heero, Wufei, Duo, Minako, Usagi, Ami, Makoto, Rei, and Chad went out for pizza.  Usagi had asked Mamoru to come, but he had said he was too tired.  This, of course, had sent Usagi into a fit of wailing.  She carried on for a full five minutes before Rei finally shouted for her to shut up.

               At the Crown Arcade, everyone talked and laughed and ate their pizza, but to Heero, something seemed to be missing.  Then it hit him like a sledgehammer.  Duo wasn't laughing, or cracking dumb jokes, or being generally annoying.  In fact, he wasn't talking at all.  It was kind of eerie.  Heero wondered for a while what was wrong with him, until he realized the truth: Duo was busy looking at Minako.

               "Minako," said Ami, "are you alright?"

               Minako was smiling and looking dreamily into Duo's eyes.  "Hmm?  Oh, yeah.  I'm fine."

               Ami didn't look convinced.  "You've been awfully quiet, especially for you."

               "Come to think of it," Wufei said, realizing what had already come to Heero, "so have you, Duo."  He, Quatre, and Trowa gave a little shutter at the thought of Duo being quiet.

               "I have?" Duo said.  "Oh.  I guess so."

               By now, everyone was fairly sure what was wrong with their usually talkative friends.  Makoto decided to do a little test.  "Say, Minako," she said.  "You want to face me in that F-1 racing game?"

               Normally, Minako would have jumped at the chance, but she just said, "No, thanks."

               Her friends exchanged meaningful glances.  It was definitely love.  If it wasn't, Minako had been kidnapped by aliens and replaced by a look-alike zombie.

               Around eleven, Usagi, Rei, Ami, and Chad realized they ought to be getting home.  The boys and Makoto, of course, had no curfew, and Minako was too dazed and lovestruck to realize anything.

               "I'll walk you home," Duo offered.

               "Okay," Minako agreed, not wanting to have to say good-bye any sooner than absolutely necessary.

               Out in the cool night air, they were happy just to be together.  The stars were shimmering brightly, and a full moon hung in the sky.  It seemed natural when they took each other's hands.

               They walked in silence.  At one point, Minako sighed contentedly and said, "The moon sure is beautiful tonight, isn't it?"

               "Yeah," Duo agreed.  "But not as beautiful as you," he added, facing her.

               Minako felt herself blush furiously, but she didn't look away.  They had reached her house, and a quiet breeze blew their hair.  They were standing very close, but neither felt uncomfortable.  "Listen, Duo," Minako said quietly.  "I had a really great time tonight."

               "So did I," Duo said, leaning closer.  "It's funny.  We just met, but I feel like I've known you forever.  Do you believe in destiny?"

               Minako smiled inwardly.  _More than you know, _she thought.  "Yes."

               "I don't know if it's real," he said.  "But if it is, that's what brought me here tonight."  They closed their eyes and moved toward each other.  As they were about to kiss, Minako pushed him away.

               "Hold on," she said, peering at the bushes behind him.  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.  She walked over to them.  "Alright, you guys, out!"  she yelled.

               Silence.

               "Give it up!" she said exasperatedly.  "I know you're in there!"  She flung the bushes apart.  Usagi, Rei, Ami, Makoto, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Heero were crouched there.

               "Uh, nobody here but us bushes?" Usagi said meekly.

               "I told you we'd get caught," Rei grumbled.

               "She knows us too well," complained Makoto.

               "Well, we shouldn't have been spying anyway," Quatre and Ami said together.

               "Come on, you guys, leave!" Minako ordered, pointing to the road.  Grudgingly, they all stood up and walked away, leaving Minako and Duo to finally have some privacy.  Minako walked over to the boy was standing.  "Now, where were we?" she said.

               "Right here," Duo whispered, and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

               Minako felt as though her breath was taken away, and it felt wonderful.  She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

               Duo wondered for a split second if he could possibly be happier, then all thought was pushed away.  They stood there, embracing, wishing they could stay like that forever.

               After a little while, though, they pulled away.  "I have to go now," Minako said reluctantly.  "Duo, thank you for everything.  I love you."

               "I love you too," Duo told her.  They kissed once more, then she turned and went inside.

               Duo walked home thinking he was walking on air.  As he entered the house, he had a huge grin on his face, and he was singing, slightly off-key.  "'L' is for the way you look, at me, 'O' is for the only one, I see..."

               "So what happened?" Quatre asked.

               "Did you kiss?" Trowa wanted to know.

               Duo apparently didn't hear them; he continued singing.  "'V' is for the very,

 extraordinary, 'E' is even more than anyone that you'd adore..."

               "Yep," Wufei confirmed.  "They kissed."

               Duo walked upstairs, changed, and went to bed.  The last image in his mind before sleep claimed him was Minako's smiling face, and Minako's beautiful laugh sounded all through his dreams.

*                            *                            *

               Minako sat at her windowsill, brushing her long hair and smiling.  She had already changed into her white pajamas with yellow polka-dots.  Artemis watched her curiously.

               "Well?" he said finally.  "What happened?"

               "What happened when?" Minako asked, more than slightly spaced out.

               "Just now," Artemis said impatiently.

               "Did something happen just now?" Minako wondered.

               "With you and Duo!" Artemis yelled, losing all patience.

               "Oh, that," Minako said.  She giggled.

               Artemis grew worried.  "Minako, did you have anything at that dance, er, alcoholic?"  
               "Of course not," she said.

               "Then what did you and Duo do?" Artemis cried exasperatedly.

               "He kissed me," Minako said simply.  Remembering made the sensation come flooding back.

               "Wow," Artemis whispered.  "You're really growing up, aren't you?"

               "Oh, stop," Minako said, blushing.  "You sound like my mother."

               "But it's true," Artemis insisted.  "I've known you for four years now, Minako, and this is the first time anything like this has happened to you.  You're not a little girl anymore."

               "Oh, Artemis," Minako protested.  "You're so sentimental."  But the thought made her blush more.  It was strange.  Even though she was the most boy-crazy of her friends, this was her first kiss.

               Hopefully, it wouldn't be her last.

*                            *                            *

               "So spill it, Minako," Usagi demanded as she, Minako, Ami, Makoto, Chibi-Usa, and Rei made their way through the crowded shopping mall on Sunday.  "What did you guys do after you so rudely made us leave?"

               "Rudely?" cried Minako indignantly.  "You were spying on us!"

               "The specifics don't matter," Usagi waving her hand dismissively.  "Just tell us.  What happened?"

               "Well," Minako confided, "we kissed."

               "Oh, wow!" exclaimed Chibi-Usa.

               "How was it?" Rei wanted to know.

               "Wonderful," Minako breathed.  But in truth, 'wonderful' was an understatement.  It had been incredible.  It had left her head spinning ever since.

               "How, exactly, did you kiss?" Usagi asked slyly.

               "That's none of your business!" Minako said hotly.

               "When's the next date?" Makoto inquired.

               "I don't know," Minako said.  "Soon, I hope."

               Rei wondered if Minako was really in love this time.  She decided to put it to the test.  "Hey, Minako, what do you think of that new rock star, Terry Lamone?"

               "Oh, him?" Makoto said excitedly.  "He's majorly dreAmi!"

               "His songs are rather fun to listen to," Ami said.

               "Wow, even Ami's interested," Usagi commented.

               Minako just shrugged.  "He's okay."

               "Minako's not drooling over a totally gorgeous rock star?" Usagi gasped.

               "It must be love," Chibi-Usa said.  "Either that, or she's lost her mind."

               "Well, I mean, he's fine, as rock stars go," Minako said.  "But really, I'm perfectly happy with Duo."

               "Wow," her friends murmured.

               Suddenly, Usagi remembered something.  "Oh, hey, guys, Michiru's got  concert next weekend, and she asked if we wanted to go, and if any friends of ours might want to come.  Do you know anybody?"

               "I could see if Duo and his friends are interested," Minako offered.

               "Great!" Usagi said.  "I'm sure Michiru will be glad."

               They wandered through the mall some more, stopping every now and then to window shop or wait for Makoto to finish drooling over some cute guy.  After two hours, they still hadn't found anything to buy that was within their price range, so they headed to the arcade instead.

*                            *                            *

Notes: Hmm, that one was short.  Hope you don't mind.  What did you think?  Too sappy?  As always, e-mail me, PLEASE, and don't flame me.  This especially goes for Duo/Hilde match-up fans, and Britney Spears fans.

FYI: The song Duo was humming was by Nat King Cole:)

Disclaimer:  I don't own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or the rights to "Oops!  I Did It Again" or "L-O-V-E."  I only dream about making money from this, and that's one dream that won't come true.  Sigh.


	6. A Musical Evening

Mission to the Past

Chapter Six: A Musical Evening

               Minako sat at her window, debating whether or not to call Duo and ask if he wanted to go to Michiru's concert.  True, they were definitely "together" now, but even so, she wasn't sure if she should call him.

               It wasn't particularly urgent.  After all, she would see him tomorrow in school, and Michiru's concert wasn't until next weekend.  So there was no need to risk giving him the wrong impression.  Not that she knew what, exactly, that impression would be, but there was no need to risk _anything._

               Besides, maybe he didn't consider them an official item.  Maybe he always kissed on the first date, but she doubted it.  Something told her he wasn't that kind of guy.  If she called him, his reaction would tell her where their relationship stood.  Even if it was nowhere, it was still better to know.  Wasn't it?

               There was another reason to call him that was nagging at the back of her mind, and that was the strange feeling she had whenever she was around him.  Something told her not to waste time, to enjoy every second.  She felt that she wouldn't have him for very long.  Why this was, she had no clue, but the feeling was there.

               She made up her mind, picked up the phone, and dialed before she could lose her nerve.  They had exchanged phone numbers in detention a few days ago.  On Friday, she remembered.

               "Hello?  Who is this, please?"

               Minako felt her heart thud.  The voice on the other end was a light male voice, probably Duo's friend Quatre.  "Hello, is Duo there?  This is Minako," she added, wondering if her heart could be heard on the other line.

               "Oh, hello, Minako," Quatre said, probably Quatre.  "Yeah, he's here.  Hold on a moment, I'll get him for you."  Minako could hear Quatre(?) in the distance, yelling, "Duo, Minako's on the phone for you!"

               A few seconds later, the anxious girl could hear Duo's tentative voice on the other line.  "Hi, Minako?"

               "Oh, hi, Duo," she said.  She winced.  Had Duo been able to hear her voice squeaking?  She struggled to remain calm.  "I'm calling because, well, this friend of mine, Michiru Kaioh, she's a violinist, and she's giving a concert next Saturday, and she's giving us some tickets, and I was wondering if you and your friends wanted to come."  There.  She'd said it.

               "That sounds great!" Duo said enthusiastically.  "I'll have to talk it over with them, but I'm sure they'd love to.  Thank your friend for us, okay?"

               "Yeah," she said, feeling relieved.  "By the way, Duo, thank you again for last night."

               "I should be the one thanking you," he said.  "I love you, Minako."

               She was filled with elation at those words.  "I love you, too, Duo."

               "I'll see you tomorrow in school, right?"

               "Yeah.  Bye, Duo."

               "Bye, Minako."

               They hung up.  Minako lay back on her bed and sighed.  She was almost dizzy with these overwhelming emotions.   Had it been like this with Alan?  No, because Alan hadn't loved her back, except as a kid sister.  Besides, she'd been younger then, and less mature.  Not that she was a model of maturity now, but she had grown up a little, at least.  Well, sort of.

*                            *                            *

               "Well?" Trowa pressed Duo.  "What did she say?  It must have been good, or you wouldn't have that stupid smile locked on your face."

               "Well, she--" Duo began, but was cut off by a frustrated cry from upstairs.

               "AARGH!  I can't take this anymore!" Heero stormed downstairs.  "I give up!  Mission aborted!  This is impossible!"  He sat down angrily.

               "What's wrong, Heero?" Quatre asked calmly.

               Heero glared at him.  "'What's wrong?'" he echoed.  "What's wrong is that I have searched every single site devoted to the Sailor Senshi, and I have found not one clue as to who they really  are!  That's what's wrong!"

               "That's too bad," Quatre said sympathetically.

               "Well, it's not like it matters," Trowa reasoned.  "Even if we found the Sailor Senshi, what would we do with them?"

               "Bring them back to our time, according to Sailor Pluto," Wufei said.

               "Oh, come on.  Do you honestly think they'll be alive in our time?" Trowa scoffed.  "It's not humanly possible."

               "Neither is magic," Quatre pointed out.  "Or time travel."

               "True," Wufei agreed.

               "Well, we can't do anything about it now, so we may as well give up worrying and enjoy our time here," Heero decided.

               "That's out of character enough for you," Duo noted.

               Heero rolled his eyes.  "So is aborting a mission."

               "Good point," Duo said.  "Well, speaking of enjoying our time here, Minako just called.  A friend of hers, Michiru Kaioh, is having a concert next weekend, and Minako's got some extra tickets, so she asked if we wanted to come."

               "Did you say Michiru Kaioh?" Quatre gasped.

               "Yeah, why?" Duo said.

               "I have all her CDs!" Quatre cried.  "She was--er, _is_--incredible!"

               "So, I take it you want to go?" Duo said.  Quatre nodded excitedly.  "That's two of us.  What about you three?"

               Trowa shrugged.  "Why not?"

               "Alright," Heero agreed.

               "Well, it's got to be better than spending the evening here listening to Duo talk incessantly about his love life," Wufei decided.

               Duo blushed, but ignored it.  "It's unanimous, then.  I'll tell Minako tomorrow in school."

               "Why don't you just call her now?" Heero suggested.

               "Or I could do that," Duo admitted.  He walked over to the phone, picked it up and sarted to dial, but stopped when he realized his hands were shaking.  He hung up and tried to steady his nerves.  _Get a grip, _he ordered himself.  Taking a deep breath, he picked up the reciever and dialed Minako's number.

               It started to ring.  Duo held his breath, hoping she would pick up before he lost his nerve.

               "Hello?"

               "Hi, Minako?" he said hesitantly.  "It's me, Duo."

               "Oh, hi, Duo," she said.

               "I'm calling to say that we can make it next weekend," he said.

               "You can?" she said.  "That's good.  See you tomorrow, right?"

               "Yeah, see you.  Bye."

               "Bye."

               CLICK!  They hung up, each of their hearts beating a little faster than before.

*                            *                            *

               "This isn't good," Hadesa spat, looking at the two remaining Daimons.  "Another failure.  We can't keep wasting time and resources if we intend to revive the Sovereign of Silence.  We need to act quickly, and get the job done right."

*                            *                            *

               Duo lay in bed, tossing and turning.  It was around eleven-thirty on Sunday night, and he couldn't sleep.  Normally, he never had this problem.  But something was nagging at his mind.

               _Go to sleep, _he ordered himself.  _Just think of something nice.  Think of Minako.  _He did, and immediately wished he hadn't, because she was the source of his anxiety.

               He loved Minako.  He loved everything about her, her sweetness, her sense of humor, her persona, her outgoing personality.  He loved her laugh, her warm, ice blue eyes, her smile, her everything.  He wanted to stay with her for all eternity, but he couldn't.  One day, he would have to go back home, to his own time, and with every passing moment, that day drew nearer.  He was torn between dreading it and anticipating it impatiently.

               _Stop thinking about it, _he told himself sternly.  _Just enjoy you time with her while you can.  _In a few minutes, he was asleep.

*                            *                            *

Wednesday, Crossroads High, Lunch Break

               "Usagi?" called out a tentative voice.

               The meatball-head looked around.  "Luna?  Is that you?"

               "Yes," the miserable-sounding feline answered.  "I'm up here."

               Usagi looked up.  There, in the highest branches of a nearby tree, was Luna.  "How'd you get way up there?"

               Luna rolled her red eyes.  "I flew."

               "Wow!" exclaimed Usagi.  "You can fly?"

               "I was being sarcastic," Luna said.  "I climbed up here, of course."

               "Why are you here, anyway?" Usagi wanted to know.

               Luna looked a bit embarrassed.  "Well, I was checking on you, but this atrocious dog came by, and, well, I guess I panicked.  And now I can't get down."

               "Well, I can't climb up there," Usagi said.

               "Then find someone who can!" Luna cried desperately.  "And hurry!"

               "Okay," Usagi agreed.  She ran off to get help.  "Hey, Ami, Makoto, Luna's stuck up in a tree," she reported upon reaching her friends, who were sitting with Quatre, Trowa, Molly, and Melvin.

               "_Who's _stuck up in a tree?" Quatre asked.

               "My cat," explained Usagi.  "She's really high and I can't get to her!"

               "Oh, no!" cried Melvin.  "This is awful!  It's a real cat-astrophe!"

               Molly rolled her eyes.  "Your lame puns aren't helping, Melvin."

               "Where's the tree?" Ami asked.

               "Come on, I'll show you," Usagi said, running to where Luna was stranded, her friends following close behind.  "See?  That's it."  She pointed to the branch where Luna was perched.

               Squinting a bit, they could make out a black, furry speck among the foliage.  The furry speck let out a piteous meow.

               "So how're we going to get her down?" Molly wondered.

               "I'll do it," Trowa volunteered unexpectedly.  He walked up to the trunk.  "Can any of you give me a boost?"

               "Sure," said Makoto.  "I can."

               "Are you sure?" he asked, a bit skeptically.

               "Yeah," Makoto said.  She crouched and held her hands out, palms up, fingers interlocked.  "Come on."

               Trowa put his foot on the tall girl's hands.  "On three," he told her.  "One, two, three!"  He jumped at the same moment as she pushed up.  She was stronger than he'd expected.  He grabbed a branch and started to climb toward the frightened cat.

               He soon reached her.  "Here, little kitty," he called softly, sitting on the branch.  "Come on, Luna," he added, remembering what Usagi had called her.

               Luna studied the boy.  He seemed trustworthy enough.  She walked over to him gracefully and confidently, and let him pick her up.

               "Alright, now, I'll take you down," Trowa said soothingly.  Holding her gently, he started his descent.  When they had reached a low enough height, Luna decided it was safe to jump.  She meowed to let Trowa know, then leaped off his lap and into Usagi's arms.

               Trowa decided to follow her example.  Unable to resist showing off just a little, he did a triple back flip with a twist before landing securely.

               "Thank you so much for saving Luna," Usagi said.  "And that was a wicked cool flip you did.  I haven't seen a move like that since the Amaz--uh, I mean," she stammered, stopping herself before blurting out "Amazoness Quartet," "this really, uh, amazing circus came to town!"

               "Yeah," Molly agreed.  "Where'd you learn to do that?"

               "Oh, here and there," Trowa said vaguely.

               Luna jumped out of Usagi's arms and rubbed against Trowa's leg, meowing happily.

               "Aww, look," Usagi cried, pointing at the grateful cat.  "She's thanking you!"

               Troqa picked her up gently.  She continued to meow happily, and began to purr as he scratched behind her ears.  "What an adorable cat," he commented.

               "She really likes you," Ami noticed.  "That's pretty unusual for Luna.  She tends to be wary of strangers."

               "Yeah, I can't believe she's not scratching your face to shreds," Makoto added.

               "Hey, that's not fair!" Usagi whined.  "She's being nicer to you than she is to me!"  Everyone laughed.  "What's so funny?" she demanded.

               "Oh, nothing," said Makoto.

*                            *                            *

Saturday

               "So, Michiru," Haruka said.  "Are you nervous?"

               "Not really," Michiru answered truthfully.  "I've done this so many times, I don't really get nervous anymore.  What about you?  You're accompanying me, aren't you?"

               "Yeah," said Haruka.  "I'm a little nervous.  If I mess up, it'll ruin it for you."

               "Don't be," Michiru said.  "You'll be fine."

               Haruka checked her watch.  "We'd better get going if we want to be on time.  We'll take the helicopter, okay?"

               "Sounds good to me," Michiru agreed.  "That way, my dress won't get messed up."  She motioned to her sleeveless, open-back, blue-green dress.

               The two took her elevator to the roof, where their helicopter was resting.  They climbed in and took off.

*                            *                            *

               "Wasn't it nice of Michiru togive us these tickets?" Ami said as she and the others walked toward the concert hall.

               "Yeah," agreed Usagi, hanging on to Mamoru.

               "I still can't believe you know Michiru Kaioh," Quatre said.

               It was a brisk night.  The sun had set not so long ago, so the sky was velvet blue, and the stars were just beginning to appear.  A beautiful three-quarter moon shone like a pearl, being covered every few seconds by passing clouds.

               Duo, Quatre, Heero, Trowa, Wufei, and Mamoru wore suits.  Usagi was in an off-the-shoulder white dress.  Ami wore a simple, modest, pale blue dress.  Rei's dress was vibrant red, and she wore her trademark high heels.  Makoto had on a velvet green gown.  Minako wore a violet top and matching skirt.

               They arrived at the concert hall and were ushered into their seats.

               "Try to pay attention to something besides each other, okay, you two?" Heero said to Minako and Duo, who blushed furiously.

               "Hey, that goes for you two as well," Rei said to Usagi and Mamoru.

               "Well, _I _have no problem with that," Mamoru said.  "Usagi, I'm not so sure about."

               "Rei!  Mamoru!" Usagi cried indignantly.  "You guys are so mean!"

               "If you start crying, they'll throw you out," Rei warned.

               "I wasn't going to cry," Usagi sniffed.

               Wufei noticed a familiar name in the program: Haruka Tenoh.  "Heero, wasn't Haruka the name of that girl that nearly ran you over?"

               "Yeah, why?" Heero said.

               "She's accompanying Michiru Kaioh on the piano," Wufei told him.

               "Haruka didn't mention nearly running anyone over," Makoto said.

               "Well, I doubt she'd want to advertise the fact that she was being careless," Ami reasoned.  "Again."

               "You know her, too?" Heero asked.

               "Yep," said Usagi.

               "Ssh, there she is," Quatre whispered.

               A hush fell over the concert hall as the curtains parted to reveal Michiru standing with her violin.  Haruka sat at a grand piano.  "Good evening to all of you," Michiru greeted her audience.  "I'm very happy to be able to be playing for you tonight.  I'm going to start with a piece by Stravinsky."  She lifted her violin to her chin and started to play, with Haruka accompanying her.

               Instantly, the audience was captivated.  It was as if she had cast a spell on them.  In her talented hands, the music had a life of its own.  She was truly amazing. When the piece was over, the audience applauded enthusiastically.

               The concert lasted one and a half hours.  It was pure magic.  Haruka would often accompany Michiru, but the violinist also played several pieces alone.  The last piece was one she did alone, and it was such a beautiful, sweet, lonely sound, a tune like a wave, that she received a standing ovation at the end.

               People started to get up and leave.  As Quatre was about to exit, he paused, hearing voices arguing backstage.

               "But Haruka, I need you to accompany me."

               "Michiru, I'm really sorry, but I have a race during the concert."

               "Is it definitely on that date?  There's no chance of it changing?"

               "I'm afraid not.  You'll have to find someone else.  I'm sure there are plenty of pianists in Japan much more talented than I am."

               "But I can't find one on such short notice."

               "Excuse me," Quatre said tentatively.  "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation, and I think that I may have an answer to your problem."

               "If you do, that would be wonderful," Michiru said.

               "Well," Quatre began.  "I've been playing the piano for several years.  If you like, I could do it."

               "Oh, could you, please?" Michiru said, lookinjg very relieved.

               "Yes, certainly," Quatre said.

               "Thank you so much," Michiru said gratefully.  "You're a life saver."

               "It will be an honor to work with someone as talented as you, Miss Kaioh," he said honestly.

               The violinist smiled.  "Thank you.  And call me Michiru.  What's your name?"

               "I'm Quatre," he introduced himself.  "Quatre Raberba Winner."

               "Alright, Quatre," she said.  "Can you practice with me here, tomorrow at eight?"

               "Sure," Quatre said.

               "Great," said Michiru.  "I'll see you then.  Thank you again.  Good-bye!"

               "Good-bye," Quatre said.  He walked off to join his friends.

               "What was that all about?" Trowa asked him.

               "I agreed to be her pianist.

               "Wow," Trowa commented.  "Sounds good."

               "It is," Quatre assured him.

*                            *                            *

               "Isn't Michiru awesome?" Minako said to Duo as they walked back to her house.

               "Yeah," Duo agreed.  "She really makes the music come alive."

               Suddenly, Minako remembered something that Usagi had mentioned earlier.  "Hey, do you know of anyone that can baby-sit?  Usagi needs a baby-sitter for Chibi-Usa, her little cousin, tomorrow night.  Usagi has a date with Mamoru, her parents have some outing or other, her little brother has a birthday party, Ami's got a computer class, Makoto's got a cooking club emergency meeting, Rei's got chores, I've got homework that my mom won't let me leave the house until I finish, and basically everyone Usagi knows has something, and she really wants to go on this date, so if you could find someone, it'd really be great," she finished, slightly out of breath.

               "I'll ask around," Duo promised.

               "Thanks," Minako said.  They exchanged a good-night kiss and went their separate ways.

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                              *

Notes: Well, I blew another title.  Keep reading, because you'll never guess who gets stuck baby-sitting Chibi-Usa.  Heh-heh.:)  E-mail me, but no flames!  I apologize again to Duo/Hilde fans.

FYI: Uh, nothing, actually.

Disclaimer: As you probably know by now, I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, and I'm not making money from this.


	7. Heero's First Baby-Sitting Job

Mission to the Past

Chapter Seven: Heero's First Baby-Sitting Job

               "Hey, Trowa," Duo said that night.  "Could you baby-sit tomorrow night for Usagi's little cousin?"

               Trowa shook his head.  "Can't.  I've got a ton of homework.  Sorry."

               "Okay," Duo said.  "Wufei, what about you?"

               "Book report," the Chinese boy said.

               "Too bad," Duo said.  "I've got homework, and Quatre's got rehearsal, which leaves...."  He headed upstairs to Heero's room.  The Japanese boy was sitting at his desk, reading.  "Hey, Heero."

               "What is it?"

               Duo started to ask if he could baby-sit, but decided to change tactics.  "Have you done all your homework for Monday?"

               "Yes.  Why?"

               "Good.  Do you have anything planned for tomorrow night?"

               "No.  Why?"

               "Could you baby-sit for Usagi' little cousin tomorrow?"

               "Excuse me?"

               "Could you baby-sit for Usagi' little cousin tomorrow?"

               "No."

               "Please?"

               "No."

               "Why not?"

               "Because I don't like to baby-sit.  Go away."

               "Come on."

               "Do you ever give up?"

               "No.  Now, please?  It could be fun."

               "Then you do it."

               "I have homework."

               "Get someone else to do it."

               "They're all busy."

               "Well, I'm not doing it."

               "Please?"

               "NO!"

               This conversation continued for quite some time.  Duo refused to give up, and Heero refused to give in.  Around four-thirty 

 A. M...

               "Come on, Heero.  Baby-sitting's fun."

               "Duo, go to sleep."

               "Not until you say yes."

               "Then you'll never go to sleep."

               "Please, Heero?"

               "No."

               "Why not?"

               "Aren't you going around in circles?"

               "I don't care.  Just say yes.  Please?"

               "Will it get you to shut up and leave me alone?"

               "Yes, I promise."

               "Then, fine."

               "You'll do it?"

               "Yes.  Now keep your promise and go away before I kill you."

               "Yeah, yeah, heard it all before.  Thanks, Heero!"  The braided boy ran happily out of the room.

               _Good, now I can finally get some sleep, _Heero thought.  His sleep-deprived mind didn't even realize that he'd basically just signed his own death wish.

*                            *                            *

The next day, seven forty-five P. M.

               "Good, he's gone," Duo said as soon as Heero left the house.  "Trowa, Wufei, you two finished what you had to finish, right?"

               "Yeah," Wufei said.

               "Same here," said Trowa.  "But why did you want us to keep it a secret?"

               "Well, you see--" Duo began, but was interrupted by the phone ringing.

               "I'll get it!" Quatre called.  "Hello?  Oh, hello, Michiru....I'm fine, thank you, and you?...Oh, I see....That's awful....Yes, I can reschedule....Call me back, okay....Okay....Bye."  He hung up.

               "What happened?" Trowa asked as Quatre came downstairs.

               "Michiru sprained her wrist, so now she has to reschedule our rehearsal," Quatre explained.

               "That's too bad, but at least now you can come with us," Duo said.

               "Where are you going?" the Arabian wanted to know.

               "Yeah, Duo," Wufei said, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.  "Where _are _we going?"

               "First, do you have the video camera?" Duo asked him.

               "Yes," Wufei answered.

               "Trowa, do you have the notepad and pencils?" Duo asked.

               "Yeah," Trowa said.

               "Great!" said Duo.  "And I've got the regular camera, plus all the film we'll need.  We're all set."

               "All set for what?" Wufei demanded impatiently.

               "Well," Duo said, "we're just going to..._observe _Heero while he's baby-sitting."

               It took a moment to click in their minds.  Then... "You mean spy on him?" Quatre gasped.

               "Well..." Duo said.  "I prefer to think of it as friendly espionage."

               "You want to spy on him."

               "Well...yeah."

               Quatre sighed.  "Why?"

               "Because I want to watch him baby-sit," Duo answered.  "I'm in the mood for a good laugh."

               "Duo, you're evil," Wufei marveled.  "I'm in."

               "Wufei!" Quatre reprimanded.

               "Sounds fun," Trowa said.

               "I don't believe you guys!" Quatre cried.

               Duo sighed.  "Quatre, imagine for just a moment Heero baby-sitting a little girl.  In other words, the funniest sight on the planet.  Now, can you honestly say you want to miss that?"

               "Well...no," Quatre admitted.

               "Great!" said Duo.  "Come on, let's hurry.  We don't want to miss a single second of this."  The four boys ran out after Heero.

*                            *                            *

               _I can't believe I'm doing this, _Heero thought, standing on the Tsukino doorstep.  He rang the doorbell.

               Usagi opened it, looking slightly frazzled.  "Oh, good, you're here!  I should be back at around eleven or so, emergency numbers are on the fridge, she can eat whatever you can cook for dinner, her bedtime is ten-thirty, she shouldn't give you too much trouble, any questions?  No?  Good.  Alright, bye Chibi-Usa, be good!"  She dashed out the door without another word.

               Heero felt a tug at his shorts.  Looking down, he saw a small, shy-looking girl with pink hair 

tied in two elongated buns.  She was staring at him with big red eyes and holding a ball shaped like a cat head.  On her head was a small gray kitten, and a black cat stood at her heels.  "Are you my baby-sitter?" she asked him.

               Heero nodded.  "You must be Chibi-Usa."

               She nodded.  "And this is Diana," she said, motioning to the cat on her head, "and Luna," she pointed to the other cat, "and Luna-P," she finished, holding up the ball.  "What's your name?"

               "I'm Heero Yuy," he introduced himself.  "So...what do you want to do?"

               Chibi-Usa thought hard, then her face lit up.  "Come on!  I'll show you!" she said, taking his head and leading him upstairs.

               They stopped at a room which Heero presumed must be her room.  The predoMinakont color was pink, and there were rabbits everywhere: on the shelves, on the quilt, on the windowsill, even on the floor.  "You really like rabbits, don't you?" he commented.

               Chibi-Usa nodded.  "I love bunnies," she confessed.  She walked to her closet, pulled out a rabbit-shaped box, and opened it.  "See, this is what I want to play with," she said, motioning to the contents of the box.

               Heero felt himself go pale.  "Y-you want to play with dolls?"

*                            *                            *

               "Oh, this is too much!" Duo cried jubilantly from their hiding place in the bushes.  "Wufei, are you getting this on tape?"

               "Every second," Wufei answered.

               "Who ever thought Heero would ever even touch a doll?" Trowa said.

               "Not me, that's for sure," Quatre responded.

*                            *                            *

               The fearless warrior searched the land.  Armed with three machine guns, poison darts, and metal and magic shields, not to mention a killer outfit, she was unstoppable.  She located her target: her only enemy.  She smiled viciously.  Now, he would die.  He was armed with a stick and a piece of cardboard.  He didn't stand a chance.  The warrior aimed carefully, then fired.  The pitiful man was horribly dismembered.  His simpering smile was frozen on his disconnected head.  "Die!" cried the warrior.  "Die, Ken, and feel the wrath of Barbie!"

               Chibi-Usa looked up from her Ruthless Killer Barbie.  "I win again," she needlessly informed Heero.

               Heero sighed.  "Well, with a twig and a cardboard shield against machine guns, what do you expect?"

               "Nothing else," Chibi-Usa answered.  "Okay, let's play again!"

               "But that's the eighth time you've killed me!" Heero protested.

               "That's true," Chibi-Usa acknowledged.  "How about a video game?"

               Heero perked up.  At least in a video game, the sides would be equal.  "Alright," he agreed.  "What video games do you have?"  He expected her to say Pokemon, or some Mario game, or something little kids would like.

               Instead, she said, "I've got Mega Machine Three!"

               "Um, okay," Heero said uncertainly.  The headed downstairs to where the console was hooked up to the TV.

               "Okay," Chibi-Usa said, turning on the game.  "The point of this game is, you fight in giant robots and try to destroy each other."

               Heero smiled.  _This should be a snap, _he thought.  With his reflexes, training, and experience, he would have a definite advantage.

               However, a half hour later, he still hadn't won a single game.  "I give up," he announced, wondering why he couldn't seem to win.

               "Already?" Chibi-Usa asked innocently.

               "You've beaten me seventeen times!" Heero cried.

               "Okay, we'll stop," Chibi-Usa said.  "I'm hungry."

               "What do you want?" Heero asked her.  "I think I can make pasta."

               "Pasta's good," Chibi-Usa said agreeably.  "Alright, I'll go wash up while you make it, okay?"  
               "Yeah," Heero said.  Chibi-Usa raced upstairs, Diana and Luna at her heels, and Luna-P in her arms.

*                            *                            *

               "This is pathetic!" crowed Duo.  "Losing in a giant robot battling game?"

               "I guess video games are pretty different from real life," Quatre reasoned.

               "Obviously," Trowa smirked.

               Duo noticed an open window in the kitchen.  "Hey, Wufei, pass me the notepad and a pencil."

               Wufei obliged.  "Here you go.  What are you going to do?"

               "You'll see," Duo said mysteriously, writing something on the notepad.  Then he tore the top sheet off, folded it quickly into a paper airplane, and sent it sailing through the window.

               Heero noticed the paper airplane enter through the window and land on the floor.  Checking to make sure the pasta was okay, he abandoned his post by the stove and picked it up.  Upon unfolding it, he recognized Duo's messy handwriting.  It said:

Hey, Heero!  Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and I are enjoying the show.  I'm sure Relena will, too, when we show her the video.  How's it feel to be beaten by an eight-year-old at a giant robot wars game?  And your performance as Ken deserved an Academy Award!

               Heero felt his cheeks go scarlet.  _Video?  They're making a _video _of this?  Those sadistic jerks, _he thought bitterly.  He searched in the kitchen drawers until he found a pen.  Setting the paper on the counter, he wrote under the first message:

  
Duo, you evil baka.  You have no moral qualms about laughing at my expense, do you?

               He refolded the airplane and sent it out the window.  He watched Duo catch it neatly, open it, read it, grin, and shake his head.  No, he didn't have any moral qualms about laughing at Heero's expense.  Heero gave Duo a death glare and made a rude gesture with his hand before turning back to the pasta.

*                            *                            *

               "Sammy sure has weird taste," Chibi-Usa commented as she washed her hands.

               "Why do you say that, Small Lady?" asked Diana.

               "He was the one who told me I should try those games," Chibi-Usa explained.  "I guess they were sort of fun, but I like my games a lot better."

               "So do I," Diana agreed.

               Chibi-Usa dried her hands on a pink towel.  "Come on, Diana and Luna."  She ran down to the kitchen, followed by the two cats, and Luna-P floating behind her.

               "Heero, is the pasta cooking?" she asked him.

               "Yeah," he said.

               Chibi-Usa noticed something was missing.  Then it hit her.  "Hey, Heero, you're not wearing an apron," she pointed out.  "Mommy always cooks with an apron.  I'll get you one."

               Heero fought the urge to say, "Well, I'm not your mommy."  Instead, he tried to protest as the pink-haired girl rummaged through a closet.  "Um, that's okay, really.  I don't need an apron."

               "Sure you do," Chibi-Usa said.  She emerged from the closet wearing a pink apron with bunnies on it (big surprise).  "Usagi's is probably the only one that'll fit you, since she's only a little bit shorter than you," she told him, holding up one that matched her own.

               Heero's blood drained away from his face.  Chibi-Usa seemed to be determined to make him wear it, and so, not wanting to hurt her feelings, he reluctantly put it on.  Glancing out the window, he could see Duo struggling to get in a breath between his slightly hysterical laughs.  Heero returned to the stove, cheeks burning.

               After about fifteen minutes, the pasta was ready.  Chibi-Usa got two bowls and silverware and let Heero serve the pasta.  She then retrieved two glasses and carefully poured orange juice into them, since that was all they had.

               Heero thankfully took off the apron and sat down to eat.  Dinner, at least, passed without any major humiliation on Heero's part.  As he talked with her, or, rather, she talked to him, he realized that she was a very smart, sweet kid; little kids just weren't Heero's thing, that was all.

               After dinner, Heero asked Chibi-Usa, "What do you want to do now?"

               Chibi-Usa thought for a moment before deciding.  "Let's play Hide-and-Seek!  You're it!  Face the wall and count to twenty.  Count out loud, so I can hear you.  Come on, Diana!"  She ran off.

               Heero obediently faced the wall and started to count.  "One, two, three, four..."

               Another paper airplane came soaring through the window.  Still counting, Heero stooped down and picked it up.  It said simply:

Nice apron.

               Heero grabbed the pen he had been using and scrawled:

I'm going to kill you, Maxwell!

               He refolded the airplane and sent it out the window.  Duo caught, opened, and read it.  The he made a mocking face, his eyes open wide, and his hands interlocked and pressed against his heart.  The message was clear: "Oh, I'm so-o-o scared!"

               Heero glared at him.  "...Nineteen, twenty!  Ready or not, here I come!"  Having finished his count, he glared at him one more time before running off to find Chibi-Usa.

               He decided to check the living room first.  He looked under each table, behind each sofa and chair, behind the TV, and on top of the light.  There was no sign of Chibi-Usa anywhere.

               Next, he tried upstairs.  He looked around.  An open door led into the master bedroom.  Heero cursed himself for not making certain places off limits, because there was no way he could rightfully enter the parents' room.  On the other side was a closed door.  A sign hanging on it proclaimed it to be Usagi's room.  Heero shuddered at the mere thought of entering a teenage girl's room.  The only bedroom he could really enter was Chibi-Usa's, so that was where he headed.

               Opening the door, Heero scanned the room for potential hiding places.  Listening carefully for any incriMinakoting giggles, he looked under and behind the bed, in the closet, in her toy chest, and behind the stuffed animals.  He didn't find Chibi-Usa.

               Exiting the rabbit-filled room, he noticed a bathroom.  _Could she be in there? _he wondered.  He decided to find out.  Even after looking in the bathtub and under the sink, he found nothing.

               Back on the hallway, Heero debated with himself on whether he could enter the room that belonged to Usagi's younger brother.  He eventually decided that as long as he didn't touch anything, it would be okay.  He walked through the door.  After searching in every possible location, he still found no Chibi-Usa.

               After that defeat, the only remaining possibilities were the parents' room and Usagi's room.  The parents' room was obviously out of the question, and Heero decided that entering Usagi's room  would be wrong, somehow.  Sighing, he called out, "Okay, Chibi-Usa.  You win.  Come on out."

               "I'm down here!" called Chibi-Usa from downstairs.

               Heero frowned as he went in the direction of her voice.  _But I searched every possible hiding place down there, _he thought perplexedly to himself.

               Chibi-Usa was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.  "Tee-hee!" she giggled.  "I was in the kitchen all the time!  I ran in after you left!  I win!"

               Heero wanted to kick himself for being so stupid.  Duh.  He had never even thought of searching the kitchen.  "Okay, well, what should we do now?" he said, praying she wouldn't want to play Hide-and-Seek again.

               "How about Candyland?" she suggested.

               Heero sighed with relief.  Candyland wasn't his idea of a good time, but at least it wouldn't be too humiliating.  "Okay," he agreed.

               "Goody!" she cried.  She grabbed Luna-P, which had been floating behind her just a second ago.

               Heero blinked.  "Wait a second..." he said suspiciously.  "Was that toy just...floating?" he finished incredulously.

               Chibi-Usa nodded.  "Yup," she said.  "And that's not all it can do.  Watch!"  She dribbled Luna-P in a little circle, then threw it in the air, yelling "Luna-P, Kitty Magic!  I want Candyland!"

               POOF!  The cat-shaped toy turned into a box, which fell down into Chibi-Usa's hands.  As she opened it, Heero could see that it did indeed contain Candyland.

               "How did it do that?" Heero marveled.

               "It's a secret," Chibi-Usa said, smiling.  Heero suspected she didn't know.

               Chibi-Usa sat down and started to set up the game.  Heero joined her.  They started to play.

               After beating him thirteen times in a row and thoroughly convincing him that the game was rigged, Chibi-Usa got bored.  "Let's do something else now, 'kay?" she said.

               Heero sighed.  "Don't you have to go to bed now?"

               Chibi-Usa glanced at the clock above the TV.  "Nope," she said.  "It's only ten.  I have another half hour."

               "Shouldn't you start getting ready for bed?" Heero suggested.  "You know, brushing your teeth and all that?"  _Please, please say yes, _he begged silently.

               "Okay," said Chibi-Usa agreeably.  She ran upstairs, Luna-P floating behind her.

               Heero felt something land in his hair.  Reaching up, he found yet another paper airplane.  This one said:

You have an uncanny ability for Hide-and-Seek.  Now, smile for the birdie!

               Instinctively, Heero looked up.  FLASH!  A camera went off, capturing his tired face.  He grabbed his pen and wrote on the airplane:

You are dead.  Dead, you hear me?  I will kill you.

               He sent it flying out the window.  In a short time, it came flying back, bearing the message:

Yeah, yeah, heard it all before.  That's only, what, the eighth time you've threatened to kill me?  By the way, was Candyland fun?

               Heero narrowed his eyes and began to write his response.  Over the next few minutes, their conversation via paper airplane went like this:

No, it wasn't.  And I mean it about killing you this time.

I'm sure.  Just like you killed Relena, right?

You are beyond dead.  And you deserve it, you cruel, inhumane sadist.

Aw, you're my buddy too.

#@%! you, Maxwell.

Touchy, touchy!

I hate you.

Hey, your charge is coming back!

               After reading this last message, Heero looked up.  Sure enough, the little girl was running down the stairs in her rabbit-covered pajamas toward him.  "Will you read me a story?" she asked.

               "A story?" Heero repeated uncertainly.

               "Yeah," Chibi-Usa said.  "Please?  Mommy always reads me a story before going to sleep, unless she's busy, and when that happens, Daddy does instead."  All of a sudden, her smile disappeared, and was replaced by a look of sad longing.

               "Where does your mommy live?" Heero inquired, wondering why she lived with her aunt.

               "Mommy lives far away," Chibi-Usa said sadly.  "I haven't seen her in a long time."

               Heero felt a strange twinge of sadness for this lonely little girl.  How could she be so cheerful all the time, and be so sad inside?  Besides, he knew what it felt like to be a little kid and not to be read to.  "Alright," he sighed.  "What story do you want me to read to you?"

               The bright smile was back.  "I know just the one!" she exclaimed.  "Come on, you can read it to me in my room!"  
               Once in her room, Chibi-Usa pulled out a big hardcover book.  It looked old, like it had been read many times over.  Heero could see the title: _Tales from the Brothers Grimm.  _It was a collection of fairy tales.

               Chibi-Usa crawled into her bed.  She opened to a table of contents, ran her finger down the list until she located the one she wanted, and flipped to the page it was on.  She motioned for Heero to come over.

               He obliged, and sat at the edge of her bed.  She handed him the book.  He glanced at the story: "Sleeping Beauty."

               "Don't forget to do the voices, 'kay?" Chibi-Usa reminded him.

               "Okay," Heero agreed.  Putting aside temporarily the fact that his so-called friends were outside videotaping this, he began to read.  "Once upon a time, in a beautiful kingdom, there lived a fair and gentle king and queen...."

               Much to his surprise, he actually enjoyed "doing the voices."  He had fun making his voice cruel and sinister for the witch, and brave and confident for the prince.  It almost made him feel like a kid, a feeling he had missed out on way too often in his life.

               As he read, he could see the story taking place, only the location was the Sanc Kingdom, the princess was Relena, and the prince was himself.  He put those thoughts aside; after all, he knew he was no prince charming.

               "...And they lived happily ever after.  The end," he finished, closing the book.

               "You're a good reader," Chibi-Usa said sleepily.  "And a fun baby-sitter.  I had fun tonight, Heero.  G'night."  She yawned and closed her eyes.

               "Good night, Chibi-Usa," Heero said quietly.  He could see her breathing become steady and deep.  Diana was curled up next to her.

               Heero tiptoed out of the room, being careful not to wake her.  He gently closed the door behind him.  As he walked down the stairs, he found himself wondering what it would be like if he and Relena had kids.  _Woah, don't get ahead of yourself, Yuy, _he thought.  _First see if you can work up the courage to tell her how you feel.  _Then _worry about the kids._

"Hello, we're home," a woman's voice called softly as sounds of the front door opening reached Heero's ears.  He walked to the front door.

               "Hi, are you the baby-sitter?" the same woman asked him.  She had long, wavy, blue hair and deep violet-blue eyes.  Next to her was a tall black-haired man with dark eyes behind his glasses.  Heero assumed they were Usagi's parents.

               "Yes, I am," Heero answered.

               "Good," said the woman.  "I'm Ikuko Tsukino, Usagi's mother, and this is Kenji Tsukino, my husband."  Heero shook hands with both of them.

               "Now, let's see," Mr. Tsukino mused, pulling out his wallet.  "Eight dollars an hour for two and a half hours...that comes out to twenty dollars."  He handed Heero four five dollar bills.

               As Heero was leaving, Mrs. Tsukino thanked him for baby-sitting Chibi-Usa.  "I  hope she wasn't too much trouble."

               Heero shook his head.  "No trouble at all."  He wondered if they could tell he was lying through his teeth.

               The door closed behind him.  He walked to the sidewalk.  "Alright, you can come out now," he called.

               His friends emerged from the bushes.  Quatre decided to be polite about the whole thing; besides, he felt sorry for poor Heero, so he managed to control himself and merely smiled.  Trowa and Wufei had some compassion for Heero, so they contented themselves with smirks and a few snickers.

               Duo, on the other hand, showed no such restraint.  He was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his cheeks.  He could barely stand up.  His laughter was contagious.  After a while, Trowa, Wufei, and even Quatre could no longer contain themselves.  The four laughed at Heero the whole way home.  Whenever they showed signs of stopping, Duo would say, "Ken," or "Candyland," or "apron-boy," and they would start up again.

               Heero figured that if he were watching one of them baby-sit, he would get a good laugh out of it, too, so he decided to let them have their fun, and he wouldn't kill them.  Well, except maybe Duo.

*                            *                            *

               "Well?" Hadesa spat.  "Have you found a target?"

               The Daimon she was interrogating smiled.  "Yes, I have, your majesty.  A young boy with a strong sense of justice."

               "Good," said Hadesa.  "Don't fail me."

               "I won't," the other promised.

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                              *

Notes: Heero fans, don't flame me!  In fact, no flames at all!  E-mail!  Hmm, a strong sense of justice...wonder who that could be?  (heheheheh...)

FYI: Baka is a Japanese insult.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Candyland, or Grimm's Fairy Tales (though I don't think anyone owns those).  I guess I do own Mega Machine Three, because as far as I know, it doesn't exist, so don't use it!  I am not making any money from this, so don't sue me!


	8. Wufei and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Goo...

Mission to the Past

Chapter Eight: Wufei and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day

               Trowa yawned.  He was extremely bored.  It was a Sunday in October, and nothing interesting had happened lately.  Duo was still head over heels for Minako, Quatre was still working for that violinist, Heero still blushed whenever anyone mentioned rabbits, and Wufei was still...Wufei.

               Trowa looked at his Chinese friend.  "Hey, Wufei?"

               "Yeah, what?"

               "Where is everyone?" Trowa asked.

               Wufei thought for a moment.  "Let's see.  Quatre is rehearsing, Duo is with Minako, and Heero is out somewhere."

               Trowa nodded.  "I see."  Suddenly an idea struck Trowa.  "Maybe we should try to get jobs."

               Wufei looked at him.  "You're not serious."

               "Yeah, I am."

               "Why would you want to?"

               "So we don't just use Quatre's money all the time."

               "Quatre doesn't care."

               "Well, then, because we've got nothing better to do."

               Wufei considered this.  "You've got a point there," he admitted.  "Okay.  Let's go."

               "Great," said Trowa without much enthusiasm.  "We're bound to find some jobs quickly."  The two boys headed out the door.

*                            *                            *

               Three hours later, the hadn't found anything but rejections.  "I can't believe not a single place needs help," Trowa sighed.

               "Yeah," Wufei agreed.  "We've looked everywhere.  Oh, well.  No big deal.  Let's go home."

               They were on their way when Trowa noticed a "Help Wanted" sign in a window he had overlooked before.  "Hey, Wufei," Trowa said.  "This place is offering jobs."

               Wufei took one look at the place and made up his mind.  "No.  No way.  Not a chance."

               "Oh, come on, Wufei," Trowa urged.  "It won't be so bad."

               "Yes, it will," the Chinese boy insisted.  "It will be very bad."

               "Well, it's the only possibility."

               "I don't care.  We don't need jobs."

               "It's not that awful.  You're making a big deal out of this when it isn't."

               "It's weak!"

               "No, it's not."

               "It's completely without honor!"

               "Well..."

               "IT'S UNJUST!  And no matter what you do or say, I will not, under any circumstances, work in a McDonald's!"

*                            *                            *

               "I can't believe I agreed to work in a McDonald's," Wufei grumbled, looking with distaste at the horrible polyester uniform he was wearing.  "I don't know why I let you talk me into this."

               "Oh, shut up," Trowa said.  "I'm not hating this any less than you are."

               "You boys ready to take orders?" the extremely grumpy manager asked.

               "Yes," they muttered.

               "I can't hear you!" the manager bellowed.

               They sighed in unison.  "Yes!" they repeated with fake cheerfulness.

               "Good," the manager boomed.  "Now, go!  And don't forget to smile!"

               Trowa and Wufei headed to their stations.

               Trowa faced his first customer, a petite red-haired woman.  "Hello, and welcome to--"

               "Smile!" came the sharp ordered from the back.

               Trowa sighed.  Pasting a huge, phony grin on his face, he tried again.  "Hello, and welcome to McDonald's!  May I take your order?"

               "Yeah, I'd like a twelve-piece Chicken McNuggets and a Sprite," she said.

               "A twelve-piece Chicken McNuggets and a Sprite, coming right up!" he said brightly.  The instant the order was done, and the woman had paid, his fake smile vanished.

               "I feel like a cheerleader without the short skirt," Wufei complained.

               "I guess it could be worse," Trowa said uncertainly.

               "How?" Wufei demanded.  "How could this get any worse?"

               Trowa suddenly took notice of who his next customer was.  He sighed.  "It just got worse."  He faced his all-too-familiar customer.  Pasting the smile back on his face, he said, "Hello, and welcome to McDonald's!  May I take your order?"

               "Trowa?" Duo gasped incredulously.  "Is that you?"

               Trowa considered pretending to be someone else, but he doubted Duo would buy it.  "Yes," he said through gritted teeth.

               Duo started to snicker.  It soon escalated into a laugh.  "I don't believe this!  And wait...is that Wufei?" he said, peering at the grim-faced Chinese boy.

               "Shut up, Maxwell, you baka," Wufei hissed.

               Duo by now was doubling over in laughter.  Minako looked over his shoulder.  "You're Trowa, right?" she said.

               Trowa nodded grimly, still smiling that idiotic smile.

               Minako giggled.  "Never thought I'd see you in a McDonald's."  She fished around in her purse and pulled out a disposable camera/  "Now say cheeseburger!" she said cheerfully.  CLICK!  The camera went off.

               Trowa rubbed his eyes to get rid of the spots floating in front of them.

               Minako smiled.  "Now, that's one for the scrapbook!"

               "Are you going to order, or are you and your girlfriend going to stand there and laugh at us all day?" Trowa said.

               Duo was laughing almost too hard to talk, but he managed to say, "The second possibility is looking very appealing!"

               "Order, or we'll kick you out," Trowa warned.

               "No need," Duo assured him.  "We're leaving, anyway.  Just came by to see our friends."  He dissolved in another fit of hysterical laughter, with Minako's giggles joining in.  Together, the laughing lovebirds exited.

               _No wonder they like each other so much, _Trowa thought.  But he couldn't dwell on these thoughts for long; he had a customer.  Forcing himself to keep smiling, he said, "Hello, and welcome to McDonald's!  May I take your order?"

*                            *                            *

               "I hate my life," Wufei moaned.  He and Trowa had decided to go to Crown Arcade after work, and were sitting at one of the tables, surrounded by happy teens playing video games.

               Of course, if they had knoen that Duo and Minako would be there, they might have headed somewhere else.

               "I still can't believe you two, of all people, are working at a McDonald's," Duo chuckled.

               "What was that?" a voice piped up behind them.  Trowa and Wufei whirled around to see Heero, who was the owner of the voice, along with Michiru, Haruka, and Quatre.

               "We finished practicing, and Heero met up with us, so Michiru and Haruka gave us a ride in their helicopter," Quatre explained.

               "Helicopter?" Duo repeated.  "You guys have a helicopter?"

               Haruka grinned and nodded.  "You bet."

               Suddenly, a shrill scream rang throughout the arcade.  "AAAAIIIIEEEEE!  Oh, no, I died _again!  _#@%!, stupid game!"

               Minako, Haruka, and Michiru sighed.  "There goes the meatball-head," said Haruka.

               Then they heard Rei's voice.  "Quit your whining, Usagi           "

               "Rei, be nice," Ami scolded gently.

               "Yeah, give her a break for once," Makoto agreed.

               "Why?" Chibi-Usa giggled.  "She _did _totally bomb on level one!"

               "Hey, guys, over here!" Minako called to her friends, who all came to join her.

               "Now, what was that I heard about a McDonald's?" Heero asked.

               Duo's grin stretched from ear to ear.  "Oh, nothing," he said nonchalantly.  "Just our friends Trowa and Wufei got jobs at one, that's all."  His grin grew even wider as his words took their effect: immediate bursts of hysterical laughter.  Heero actually fell down laughing.  Makoto needed to lean against a wall for support.

               "Like I said, I hate my life," Wufei mumbled.

               "My cheeks still hurt from smiling so much," Trowa complained, making everyone laugh even harder.

               Now, Wufei was already having a very bad day, and the laughter was not helping.  He racked his brain for the most efficient way to annoy everyone.  When he found one, he knew it was perfect.

               "That was a job for weak women," he said.

               The laughter stopped.  All the girls were glaring daggers at him.  All the boys were looking at him with pity in their eyes.

               "You want to take that back?" Makoto hissed.

               "No," Wufei answered defiantly, ignoring the fact that Makoto was a good five inches taller than he was and was already looking very mad.  "It's only just."

               "Alright, justice-boy," she spat.  "You and me, one-on-one, let's go."  She clenched her fists.

               Suddenly, a tall redhead with concern in her green eyes rushed over.  "Please, don't fight in the arcade!" she pleaded.  "It's bad policy."

               "Alright, Lizzie," Makoto agreed amiably.  Turning back to Wufei, she said, "Okay.  Let's take this outside."  She exited the arcade, with everyone following behind.

               Once they were outside, Makoto and Wufei faced each other.  Their friends made a circle around them.  "Makoto, you need help taking out the trash?" Haruka called.

               Makoto shook her head.  "Not this time."

               "You know, fighting over something like this really isn't the best idea," Quatre said.

               "Wufei, maybe you should reconsider," Trowa said nervously.  "After all, have I mentioned her reputation?  No offense, Makoto," he added hastily, seeing her glare fix on him.

               "No, you haven't," Wufei said, never taking his eyes off his opponent.  "Why?  What's her reputation?"

               "She was kicked out of her old school for fighting," Trowa told him.

               "Yeah," Makoto said, smiling wickedly.  "And they didn't expel the kid I was fighting with.  After all, it's hard to expel someone who's lying in a hospital bed."

               "All that tells me is that the kid you were fighting was even weaker than you are," Wufei scoffed.  "Are you trying to scare me?"

               Makoto shook her head.  "No.  Just giving you fair warning."

               There were a few moments of silence.  Then, without warning, Wufei lunged at Makoto, attempting to punch her.  Makoto effortlessly   blocked his fist.  Grabbing his wrist, she punched his cheek, punched him in the stomach, threw him on the ground, and placed her foot on his head.

               "Now, say girls aren't weak!" she ordered.  When Wufei said nothing, she pressed harder.  "Say it!"

               "Girls aren't weak," he mumbled, almost inaudibly.

               "I can't hear you!" Makoto shouted, stepping even harder.

               "Girls aren't weak!" Wufei yelled.

               Makoto released him.  "Be grateful I didn't wear my high heels today," she said.

               Wufei scrambled to his feet.  Trowa and Heero helped him brush himself off.  "Anything seriously damaged?" Heero asked.

               Wufei shook his head.  "Just my pride."

               "You want to join us back in the arcade?" Trowa offered.

               "No," Wufei said.  "I'm heading home."  He stalked off like a dog with it's tail between his legs.

               "Do you think he'll be okay?" Quatre asked worriedly.

               "Wufei?  He'll be fine," Duo said.

               "Yeah," Makoto said.  "I didn't go all out on him."

               Quatre made a silent pReir that Makoto would never be mad at him.

               "Hey, Minako," Usagi said.  "Play you at F-1 Test Driver!"

               "You're on!" Minako yelled enthusiastically.  The two blondes raced into the arcade, followed by their somewhat less hyper friends.

               In less than a minute, however, their hopes of playing their favorite game were dashed: no matter how hard they tried, the game would not start.

               "Hey, what gives?" Usagi wailed indignantly.

               "Oh, not that one, too," Lizzie moaned.

               "What do you mean, Lizzie?" Minako questioned.

               "Well," began Lizzie, "what with us being so short on help, Andrew and I have to help out all the time with taking orders, and we have almost no time left for maintenance!  We have way too many machines that aren't working!"

               Trowa was listening nearby.  All that his ears picked up was "short on help."  If they needed help, maybe he and Wufei could quit their jobs at McDonald's!  "Did you say you needed help?" he asked the frazzled redhead.

               "Yes, badly," Lizzie answered.

               "A friend of mine and I are looking for new jobs," Trowa told her.  "We could work here, starting tomorrow after school."

               Lizzie looked at him like he was an angel sent from heaven above.  "Oh, thank you!" she cried.

               Trowa was a little bewildered.  "Don't you even want to run it by the manager?"

               "No," Lizzie told him.  "Andrew, the manager, is my brother.  Our family runs this place, and besides, we're absolutely desperate!  Show up tomorrow after school, okay?"

               "Okay," Trowa agreed.  "I'd better catch up with Wufei to tell him the good news."  He started to leave.

               "I'll give you a ride in the helicopter," Haruka offered.

               "Thanks," Trowa said.  They headed out to Haruka's beloved machine.

*                            *                            *

               Wufei walked along, cursing his luck.  His cheek stung, his stomach hurt, he had a massive headache, and he felt like a complete weakling.  _How could I be so weak? _he thought bitterly.  _Stupid girl, this is all her fault.  That was totally unnecessary.  It was complete injustice!_

"Ah, I see you like justice," a voice cackled behind him.  "And before you ask how I know, it's because I can read your mind!"

               Wufei whirled around and gaped at the sight that he found.  It was a woman, carrying the flags of different countries, dressed in multi-colored, striped spandex and knee-high boots, and wearing a red cape and a mask.  "Who the heck are you?" he managed to say.

               "I am Justice Woman!" she declared.  "And your Heart Crystal is mine!"  Without another word, she took off her mask to reveal a black star on her forehead.  A beam of light shot out from it, and connected with Wufei's chest.

               He screamed in agony.  She was sucking the breath out of him!  After a few intense seconds, the pain subsided, and left a dull, aching emptiness.  Collapsing to his knees, he could see, floating before him, a shining, red crystal.

               "Ahahahaha!" Justice Woman crowed triumphantly.  "I will be greatly rewarded for this!"

               Wufei's last conscious thought before drifting into sleep was: _This really isn't my day._

*                            *                            *

               "Hey, isn't that your friend?" Haruka asked, pointing outside the window.

               Trowa peered out at the unconscious form below.  "Yeah, that's him.  But what happened to him?  And who's that crazy woman?"

               Haruka recognized her at once as a Daimon.  _Oh, man!_ she thought.  _I can't transform here, and even when we land, I'll still have Trowa with me.  _Secretly activating her communicator, she said loudly, "That's a monster!  I sure wish the Sailor Senshi were here!  They'd be a big help right now!"  Then she prepared to land.

*                            *                            *

               Michiru switched off her communicator.  _So there's danger wherever Haruka's helicopter is, _she thought to herself.  _If we all leave, it might arouse suspicion.  _She casually walked over to Setsuna.  "Hey," she said.  "I need you to help get me my mirror."

               Setsuna looked at her blue-haired friend.  "Does that mean what I think it means?"

               Michiru nodded.

               "Okay," Setsuna said.  "Who else do you think we'll need?"

               "Ami, to find out where they are," Michiru responded.  "And Usagi, of course."

               It was Setsuna's turn to nod.  She tapped Ami on the shoulder.  "Ami, we need your computer for group business."

               The girl genius nodded.

               "Hey, meatball-head," Michiru called.  "You've got work to do, and you'd better bring all your stuff; you're going to needed."

               Usagi nodded understandingly.  She got up to leave.  "Don't forget about our rematch," she reminded Minako.

               "I won't," Minako promised.

               Michiru, Setsuna, Ami, and Usagi walked out of the building.  Ami took ou her computer and started clicking on it.  In a few seconds, she said, "Okay.  I've pinpointed their location.  Just follow me once we're transformed."

               "Okay," the other three chorused.  Together, they walked into a shadowed alley and transformed.  Then the four Sailor Senshi started running to their target, with Sailor Mercury leading the way.

*                            *                            *

               Haruka and Trowa climbed out of the helicopter, determined to stall the monster until help arrived.  Haruka was praying her message had been received.  "Come on, let's carry him to someplace safe," she called, motioning to the unconscious Wufei.

               They ran over to him and dragged him to the side of the road.

               "AUGH!" the monster cried.  "You cannot take my victim away from me!  It is unjust!"

               The two humans stopped in their tracks.  "She sounds like Wufei," Trowa remarked.

               "What kind of monster are you, anyway?" Haruka demanded, hoping to buy them some time.

               "I am the proud servant of Mistress Nine, Justice Woman!" she cried triumphantly.

               "You hypocrite," Haruka spat.  "How can a justice woman fight for evil?"

               "I am not _a _justcice woman, I am Justice Woman!" she yelled.  "And if I say I'm being just, then I am!"

               "What a weird system of justice," Trowa remarked.

               "Enough chatter!" Justice Woman said abruptly.  "Now, I shall kill you all!"

               "I don't think so!" said a familiar voice.

               "Huh?" said the deranged Daimon.  "Who are you?"

               "I am Sailor Moon!" the blond soldier proclaimed.  One by one, her friends, all wearing masks, made their unnecessary introductions.

               "I am Sailor Mercury!"

               "I am Sailor Neptune!"

               "I am Sailor Pluto!"

               Together, they shouted, "We are the champions of justice!"

               "Hold on a second," Trowa said.  "Let me get this straight.  The champions of justice are fighting Justice Woman to save justice-boy?"

               "That's about right," Haruka said.

               "Argh!  Imposters!" the monster screamed.  "I am Justice Woman!  You shall pay!"  
               "I don't think so," Neptune said.  "Pluto, help me out.  DEEP SUBMERGE!"

               "DEAD SCREAM!"

               The double attack looked as if it were about to hit the monster, but she dodged it just in time.

               "MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"  It suddenly became very foggy.

               "Yaah!  I can't see!" yelled Justice Woman in a panic.  "Die!  JUSTICE BLAST!"  Because of the fog, her attack missed the Sailor Senshi by a mile.  Instead, it made direct contact with Haruka's helicopter.

               "My helicopter!" Haruka cried.  "NOOOOOOO!"  She ran to the badly damaged machine.  "My baby..."  Turning to face the monster, she yelled, "You will die for hurting my helicopter!"  She ran straight through the fog, and, upon reaching Justice Woman, beat her up with her bare fists.

               Once Justice Woman was unconscious on the ground, and Haruka's thirst for revenge had been somewhat quenched, she shouted, "Now, Sailor Moon!"

               "Okey-dokey!" the masked blonde said.  "RAINBOW MOON HEART ACE!"  The attack easily moon-dusted the severely damaged Daimon.  Sailor Pluto retrieved Wufei's Heart Crystal and placed it in his chest.  The she and the other Senshi sped away.

               Trowa ran to his friend.  Haruka knelt by her helicopter, moaning, "My baby..." over and over again.

               "Hey, Wufei, you alright?" Trowa asked, helping the Chinese boy get up.

               "Yeah," he answered drowsily.  "Man, this has really not been my day."

               "No kidding," Trowa agreed.  "But listen, I've got some good news.  The arcade needed help, so I got us jobs there.  We can quit our McDonald's jobs!"  
               "YES!" Wufei cried.  "Thank you!"  Glancing over at Haruka, he asked, "Hey, what's wrong with her?"

               "Um, her helicopter got bashed in the battle," Trowa said.  "She was very close with it, kind of like we were with our Gundams."

               "Ah," Wufei said sympathetically.  "We should probably leave her alone then."

               "Good idea," Trowa agreed.  The two boys started walking to the arcade, leaving behind the grieving Haruka.

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                              *

Notes:  Wufei fans, don't flame me!  Also, if I offended any McDonald's workers, I'm very sorry.  E-mail me, but no flames.

FYI: Um, nothing.^.^;

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or McDonald's.  They are owned by some very rich people.  I am not making any money whatsoever from this.  I have no money, so don't sue.


	9. An Ice Skating Trip to Remember

Mission to the Past

Chapter Nine: An Ice Skating Trip to Remember

               "Where's Haruka?" Usagi asked Michiru at Study Buddies in Rei's temple three weeks after the Justice Woman incident.

               "She's working on the helicopter," Michiru answered.

               "Still?" Usagi said incredulously.  "But it's been three weeks!"

               Michiru rolled her eyes.  "Have _you _ever tried to repair a helicopter that was damaged in a battle with a Daimon?"

               "Well, no," Usagi admitted.

               "I didn't think so," said Michiru.  "Let me tell you, it's a _lot _of work.  Besides, you know how Haruka is with her machines.  They're like her children."

               "That's true," Usagi acknowledged.

               "Okay, enough talk," Ami said.  "Let's study now."

               "Where the heck is Minako?" Rei wondered, sounding very annoyed.

               "Probably with Duo," Makoto said.  "Where else?"

*                            *                            *

               Minako had the nagging feeling she was forgetting something.  Glancing at her watch, she realized what it was.  "Oh, no!" she wailed.  "I completely forgot!  I have to meet my friends at the temple for Study Buddies!"

               "D'you think you can still make it?" Duo asked.

               "Yeah, I guess," Minako said.  She pouted.  "I don't want to leave you, though."  She suddenly brightened as an idea came to her.  "Hey, why don't you come with me?"

               "Are you sure?" he said.

               "Yeah!" she said enthusiastically.  "And we're really near your house, so we can stop by there and ask your friends to come along!  Unless, of course, you don't want to," she added hastily, suddenly doubtful.

               "Are you kidding?" Duo said.  "Why wouldn't I, if it means spending more time with you?"

               Minako giggled.  "You're so sweet!"  She kissed him on the cheek.

               No matter how many times they kissed, it never failed to leave Duo in a dazed state, a lovestruck trance.  The same goofy smile always appeared on his features, and his eyes always glazed over a bit.  He shook his head in an effort to clear it.  "So, let's go already!"

               The two teens headed toward their destination.

*                            *                            *

               "Okay, Minako," Rei said through gritted teeth, doing her best not to lose her temper.  She wasn't succeeding very well.  "Where were you?"

               Minako cringed.  "Well, I kind of lost track of time."

               "Kind of?" Rei snapped.  "We've been waiting for nearly an hour!  It would be nice if, once in a while, you could get your head out of the clouds and remember your commitments!"

               "Rei, lay off a bit," Ami said, trying to calm the angry priestess.  "We're all a bit spacey sometimes."  Turning to the boys, she said apologetically, "We're really very happy that you could join us.  Even Rei.  She's just a bit, well..." Ami searched for the right word.  "Over-reactive."

               "'Over-reactive?'" Rei repeated indignantly.

               "Calm down, Rei," Makoto said.

               "Yeah, lay off," said Usagi.

               "Lay off THIS, meatball-brain!" Rei yelled, lunging for Usagi, who yelped in surprise and fright.  Within seconds, the two were engaged in a loud fistfight.  Mchiru, Makoto, Ami, and Setsuna sighed in unison.

               "And I thought we had it bad, what with Duo and Heero at each other's throats," Trowa remarked.

               "Even those two aren't this bad," Quatre agreed.

               "Okay, _children,_" Setsuna said, her patience wearing thin.  "Stop.  It.  NOW!"

               Setsuna so rarely yelled that it immediately got Rei's and Usagi's attention.  They stopped, seemingly frozen.  Rei was yanking on one of Usagi's pigtails, and Usagi was pulling on Rei's left leg.  The pose was too difficult to hold for long, however; after a few seconds, they collapsed in a pathetic heap on the floor.

               "Oww," Usagi whined.

               "Get off me, Usagi," Rei grumbled.

               "You're the one who's on me!" Usagi cried.

               "Oh, for goodness' sake," Makoto said.  She walked to the heap and helped her two friends untangle themselves.

               "Okay, we are going to study now," Ami declared.  Everyone settled around the room and opened their books.  There were a few minutes of silence, save the sounds of turning pages, pencils on paper, and erasers.

               "Wow, you guys are actually studying for once," Chibi-Usa said, coming into the temple with Hotaru.  Then she noticed the five newcomers and ran over to one of them.  "Hey, Heero!" she said.  "When are you going to bay-sit for me again?  I had lots of fun!"

               "Oh, hello, Chibi-Usa," Heero said, smiling at the little girl.

               Hotaru turned crimson at the sight of Heero.

               "Hey, you're the one who beat Heero seventeen times straight at a giant robot battling game, right?" Duo said, grinning broadly.

               "Yup," Chibi-Usa said happily.

               "Not everyone can do that, you know," Duo said.  "You should be proud.  After all, you could say that giant robots are Heero's specialty."

               Heero gave Duo a death glare.  He had the feeling he would be hearing about this for quite a while.  Duo just kept on grinning.

               "Don't you two have homework?" Michiru asked the young girls.

               They shook their heads.  "Nope," Chibi-Usa said.  "Finished it already."

               "Then go bug someone else," Usagi said.

               "They're not bugging anyone," Quatre objected.

               "Well, Hotaru's not," Usagi agreed.  "Chibi-Usa, on the other hand..."

               Chibi-Usa sniffed.  "Well, I can see we're not wanted here.  Let's go, Hotaru."

               "Okay," the black-haired girl agreed.  They ran outside.

               "Well, aren't you nice to your little cousin," Wufei remarked to Usagi with light sarcasm.

               "If you had to live with that little spore, you'd lose your temper every now and then, too," Usagi retorted.

               Ami sighed.  "Let's see if we can spend more than five minutes at a time doing actual work."  They resumed diligently studying.

               "Rei?" a husky male voice called, ringing through the halls of the temple.  "Rei!"

               "What is it, Grandpa?" Rei asked, putting down her books and heading to the source of the voice.

               A short, bald man appeared in the doorway.  "Rei, I need to make a call, and Chad needs a fire reading," he said.  "Could you do it?"

               Rei sighed.  "Okay," she agreed reluctantly.  "What does he need to know?"

               "Well, his guitar's missing," Grandpa Hino said.

               Rei nearly fell over from the sheer stupidity of it all.  "Why can't he just look for it himself?  I'm busy!"

               "Well, he's got an audition tomorrow, and he wants to practice as soon as possible," her grandfather explained.

               "If he's singing, maybe it would be kinder for everyone involved if he didn't find it," Rei joked.  The girls and Grandpa laughed.  The five boys had the feeling they were missing something.

               "Yes, well, he's not singing, so can you please do a fire reading?" the old man said.

               "Yeah, okay," Rei said.

               "Thank you so much!" Grandpa Hino said.  "Chad will be so happy."  He walked off, presumably to make his call.

               Rei turned apologetically to the group.  "I'll be right back," she promised.

               "What exactly is a fire reading?" Quatre asked curiously.

               "Well, I say a pReir, and kneel at the sacred fire, and if all goes well, it shows me what I need to know," she explained.  "Usually, I can get something out of it.  It doesn't always work, though.  Be back in a few minutes."  She left the room.

               She returned shortly, sighing.  "It was under his bed the whole time," she groaned.  "Why can't he ever keep track of his own stuff?"

               By this time, Ami was looking ready to strangle someone.  "STUDY, DANG IT!" she nearly screamed.

               Everyone meekly obliged.  A few minutes of productive action passed.  Then Rei remembered something.  "Hey, Usagi," she said.  "You still have my Reiarth manga!"

               "Uh, I do?" Usagi said, trying to feign innocence.

               "Yes, you do," Rei said tightly.

               "Oh, I'm really, really sorry I forgot," Usagi wailed.  "But I promise I'll bring it next time!"  
               "That's what you said last time!" Rei shouted.

               While they bickered, Quatre asked Ami, "Do you always get this little work done?"

               "Oh, no," Ami said.  "Usually, it's much less."

*                            *                            *

               "Study Buddies was a lot more interesting with those guys here today," Makoto commented as they helped Rei clean up the temple once the boys had left.

               "Yes, and not exactly productive," Ami said disapprovingly.

               Suddenly, they all heard a familiar noise in the sky outside.  They ran out to see if it was what they thought it was.

               There was Haruka's helicopter, looking as good as new, flying above the temple.

               "Haruka!" Michiru cried happily.  "You finished fixing it!"

               The helicopter landed and Haruka jumped out, looking happier than anyone had ever seen her.  "You bet!" she said enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear.  "So, did anything exciting happen without me?"  
               "Not really," Setsuna said.

               "Well," Rei said, "we decided that, since next Saturday is December first, we'd go ice skating.  You know, in honor of winter and all that."

               "Sounds great," Haruka said.  "Well, I'm taking my copter for a spin.  You want to come, Michiru?"

               "Sure," the blue-haired girl agreed.  "Just wait until I get my stuff together."

               "Okay," Haruka said.  The group landed back inside.  Haruka continued to ask if shed had missed anything while fixing her precious machine.  "Were there any Daimon attacks?  How about tests?  Projects?  Do I have a ton of homework to catch up on?"

               "No, yes, no, definitely," Michiru told her without missing a beat.

               "You mean you haven't even been to school these past three weeks?" Ami gasped.

               Haruka looked at her blankly.  "Of course not," she said.  "What was I supposed to do, put aside my baby for school?"

               The group stared at her and decided it would be best not to ask any questions.

               "So no Daimon attacks, either, huh?" Haruka continued.

               "Nope," Makoto said.

               "Maybe we've scared them off," Usagi said hopefully.  "Or finished off the last of them."

               "I hope so," Haruka said.  "They're really beginning to tick me off."

               "What I don't see," Makoto said, "is why we have to wear those masks.  I mean, we've never been recognized before."

               "She's got a point," Rei acknowledged.

               "Well, uh," Minako said, trying not to sound flustered, "you see, usually, when we save someone, they are too freaked out to pay much attention to what we look like.  But, since lately there have been a lot of people around who know us pretty well, they could recognize us, so better safe than sorry, right?"  She pReid they would buy her on-the-spot lies.

               Haruka shrugged.  "Whatever.  Come on, Michiru."  The blue-haired girl took her things and headed out with Haruka.  In a few seconds, the remaining girls could hear the whir of their helicopter taking off.

               Minako breathed a quiet sigh of relief.  They'd bought it after all.  For some reason, she felt she couldn't tell them the true cause for her sudden anxiety.  She couldn't tell them it was because the stakes had never been so high for her.  She couldn't say it was because, before, she hadn't cared if they were recognized; she had known it would be bad, and that whoever recognized them could be used by their enemies, but she hadn't cared on a personal basis.

               Now, however, things were different.  Now she had Duo to consider.  And she was absolutely terrified of him discovering her greatest secret.

               But why couldn't she say that?  She wasn't sure.  Partially, it was that, if they knew, they would treat it as being sweet and romantic, and make it seem shallower than it was.  It wasn't sweet and romantic; it was just true.

               Minako felt that someone was watching her.  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Setsuna's intense garnet eyes fixed on her.  Inwardly, she sighed.  She supposed there was no escaping Setsuna's scrutinizing gaze, or the fact that Setsuna probably could tell more about Minako's feelings for Duo than Minako herself could.

               Quite suddenly, there was a hand waving in front of Minako's face.  "Hello, earth to Minako, come in Minako!"

               Minako snapped out of her brooding thoughts.  "Huh?  Oh, sorry, Usagi.  I'm listening."

               Usagi looked skeptical.  "Oh, really?  'Cause I've asked you the same question three times now, and you still haven't answered."

               "Well, ask me again," said Minako.  "I'll listen this time."

               Usagi sighed.  "I _said, _are you looking forward to going skating next Saturday?  Geez, you're an even bigger space cadet than usual today."

               "She's probably thinking about Duo again," Makoto said mischievously.

               Minako's cheeks turned deep crimson, but she ignored the brunette's teasing remark and said to Usagi, "Oh, yeah.  Definitely."

*                            *                            *

               "This is really not good," Hadesa hissed.  Steam was practically coming from her ears.  "You're the last one I've got left.  I've already located a target for you.  He's a pacifist, so it should be easy.  Now, go!"

               The Daimon obeyed.

*                            *                            *

               "So, have any of you guys skated before?" Rei asked Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei that Saturday on their way to the ice skating rink.

               Duo shook his head.  "Nope, but I'm willing to try anything once."

               "Me, neither," Quatre said.

               "Same here," said Heero.

               "No, but it sounds fun," said Wufei.

               "I tried it once," Trowa remembered.  "It was a lot of fun."

               "It's not hard," Rei assured them.  "Unless, of course, you're a klutz like Usagi."

               "Hey!" Usagi cried in protest.  "I'm not that bad!"

               Rei shook her head.  "Sorry to break it to you, but your ice skating days were ancient history before you even got started."

               Usagi got a hurt look on her face.  She turned away and began to sulk.

               However, she cheered up immediately once they reached the rink.  "Oh, yeah!  We're here!"  They looked up at the building.  In the summer, it was a lake surrounded by shops, where you could rent rowboats or have lunch, but in the winter, it was turned into the Juuban Ice Rink.

               The group entered.  After renting skates for those who didn't own them, they struggled for a few minutes with the arduous process of getting them on.  Eventually, they managed to succeed, with the exception of Usagi.  She was hopelessly entangled in the laces.

               "You're pathetic," Rei grumbled, doing for Usagi in ten seconds what Usagi had failed to do in ten minutes.

               "Everyone ready?" Makoto asked.

               They all chorused, "Yes!"

               "Come on, let's go!" Chibi-Usa said impatiently.  They headed out to the ice.

               Heero and Trowa were soon comfortably gliding around the rink.  Quatre was a bit tentative, but got the hang of it after a few minutes.  Wufei proved to be very graceful.  Duo and Minako skated together at a moderate pace.  Rei, Ami, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Chibi-Usa were average.  Hotaru had to stop and rest every now and then, but was fine aside from that.  Makoto was excellent, as always, and Usagi was miserably pathetic.

               "EEEEE!  HEEELP!" Usagi screamed.

               Minako tore her eyes away from Duo, something she was doing less and less often lately, in time to see the out-of-control meatball-head careening towards her and Duo.

               "Watch out!" Usagi yelled, but it was too late.  She slammed into Duo and Minako.  The three fell down and skid a long way on the ice before coming to a rough stop against the corner.

               "Sorry," Usagi said meekly.  "You guys aren't mad at me, are you?"

               Duo and Minako looked ready to throttle her for a moment before bursting out laughing.  Usagi gratefully joined in.

               Meanwhile, Trowa and Makoto haad been, as usual, unable to control their primal urges to show off, and were putting on quite a show.  All the skaters "oohed"  and "aahed" as they spun around the rink.  Everyone clapped enthusiastically when Trowa managed to gracefully lift Makoto up, which was an uncommon feat.

               "Way to go, Trowa!" Quatre cheered for his friend.  Feeling someone tap him on the shoulder, he turned around.  "Yes?" he asked the person who had tapped him, a woman with purple hair and big matching eyes.

               "Excuse me, sir, could you do me a favor?" she asked politely.

               "Sure," Quatre said.  "What is it?"

               The woman smiled wickedly.  "I need you to give me your heart!  Now!"

               "What the--?" Quatre cried.  Bewilderment overtook him as the woman snapped her fingers and turned into a large, purple witch, dressed in a very skimpy violet skating outfit.

               "I won't fail!" she cried.  "You are mine!"  She held out her left palm, revealing a black star.  Within seconds, she was holding Quatre's Heart Crystal, and the blonde was on his knees, gasping for air.

               "Hah!" the monster shouted triumphantly.  "Let's speed up your death, shall we?"  Cackling evilly, she skated a quick circle around Quatre.  Her sharp blades cut right through the ice, and Quatre fell into the freezing cold water of the lake beneath him.

               "Quatre!" his friends cried, skating over to help him.  Heero and Trowa, being closest, grabbed him by the arms, and with help from Duo and Wufei, pulled him out.

               Meanwhile, the Sailor Senshi were huddled in the corner, discussing what to do about their predicament.

               "There's no way we can transform here," Haruka said.

               Ami nodded.  As usual, she was way ahead of everyone.  "I know.  But I've got a plan that just might work.  She turned to Makoto.  "We'll need your skating skills."

               "Alright," Makoto said.  "What do I do?'

               Being as brief as possible, Ami outlined her plan.  "Her blades cut straight through ice.  Makoto, you need to get her to chase you.  Then you lead her in a circle and into the center.  You'll need to jump away from the circle as soon as she steps on, or else you'll fall down with her."

               "What if she climbs out?" Rei queried.

               Ami held up her mini-supercomputer.  "I did a scan on her.  She melts in the water."

               "That's weird," Michiru remarked.

               "Well, I'm off," said Makoto.  Skating in the monster's direction, she yelled, "Hey, big, purple, and ugly!  Over here!"

               The monster turned toward Makoto.  "Little wench!" she cried.  "I'll show you!"

               "Come and get me!" Makoto taunted.  She started skating as fast as she could.

               "I'll get your Heart Crystal, too!" yelled the Daimon, starting to chase her.

               "Makoto, watch out!" cried Trowa.

               _Everything's going according to plan, _Makoto thought.  She turned to complete the circle.  Inches from the monster's starting point, she cut a sharp corner into the circle.  A split second later, the monster followed, and Makoto leaped out of the circle just in time to miss plunging into the frigid water.  As Ami had predicted, the Daimon melted with a hissing noise.

               Quatre's Heart Crystal bobbed to the side of the hole.  Chibi-Usa stooped and picked it up, then walked over to Quatre and replaced it in his body.  Slowly, he stood up, still shivering from the cold.

               "Quatre, we have to get you to a doctor," Trowa said urgently.

               Quatre nodded.  Trowa helped him skate over to the exit and led his friend to the First Aid Office.

               A calm male voice boomed over the loudspeaker.  "Skaters, please evacuate the rink.  Please be very careful of the, um, very large gaps in the ice.  Remember, we are not responsible for any injuries.  If any occur, please go to the First Aid Office.  That is all.  Thank you."

               A wave of skaters started heading for the door.  As the crowd pushed its way out, the nearby benches became crowded with people taking their skates off.

               Heero wobbled over to a bench and sat down.  He was about to take off his skates when he heard Duo's voice saying, "Heero, your arm..."

               Heero looked at his arms and drew a sharp breath.  With his left palm up, he could see a bloody gash going from his elbow nearly to his wrist.  "I guess I'd better head off to first aid, huh?" he said, trying to figure out what had happened.

               "I'll come with you," Duo offered, standing up.

               Heero shook his head.  "No, I'm fine.  I must have cut myself on the ice when I was helping Quatre up," he recalled.

               "Are you sure you'll be okay?" Duo asked with concern.           

               Heero gave him a look that plainly said, "You're talking to the guy that set his own broken leg."  Out loud, he said, "Yeah."  He walked off, wobbling a bit on his skates.  He had been too busy worrying about Quatre to notice before, but his arm hurt badly.

               Hotaru saw Heero walking to the first aid room.  More importantly, she saw what had happened to his arm.  Standing up quickly, she said, "I have to go to the bathroom.  I'll be right back, okay?"  She ran off in her socks after Heero.

               Heero was walking down an empty corridor when he heard his name called.  Turning around, he could see the same black-haired girl that had mended his sprained ankle a few months back, Hotaru Tomoe.

               "Show me your arm," she said quietly.

               Wordlessly, he held it toward her.  She put her hands on it and concentrated.  Her eyes dimmed for a moment, then brightened again.

               Heero watched in amazement; his arm was completely healed.

               "There," Hotaru said, smiling a bit.  "All better.  I'm sorry I can't do anything about your friend.  I can only heal wounds, not illness."

               "Thank you," Heero said.  "That's twice now you've helped me."

               Hotaru's smile grew a bit.  "Think nothing of it.  Just don't tell anyone, okay?"  She walked off without another word.

               Heero stared after her for a few seconds before returning to his friends.

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                              *

Notes: Well, if you're still reading this, thank you.  The end is near, so don't give up and get bored yet.  E-mail me, but NO FLAMES!

FYI: I don't think the Juuban Ice Rink is actually a lake in the summer...^.^;  But its name IS Juuban!

Disclaimer:  As you most likely know by now, I don't own Gundam Wing, or Sailor Moon, or anything else I happened to mention in this fic, or enough money and property for you to get anything if you sue me.


	10. Secrets Unveiled

Mission to the Past 

Chapter Ten: Secrets Unveiled

               It turned out Quatre had contracted pneumonia.  He was in bed for two weeks.  The first few days were horrible.  He was feverish, it hurt every time he breathed, he was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep, and two minutes never went by without a cough from him.  After a while, it wasn't so bad.  By the end of the two weeks, he only coughed rarely, and he was eager to go out.

               "Can I get out of bed yet?" he asked Trowa one day.  It was a Saturday, December fifteenth.  The sun was bright in his window, and a crisp winter breeze gently stirred the leafless branches outside.  Quatre longed to leave his room and enjoy the fresh air.

               Trowa raised his eyebrows.  "Did I just hear you, of all people, whine?"

               "Yeah," Quatre admitted.  "But you can't exactly blame me.  You'd whine, too, if you'd been stuck in bed for two weeks."

               Trowa smiled.  "You've got a point.  And you'll be glad to know, yes, you can get out of bed."

               He had barely finished the sentence before Quatre had joyfully leapt to his feet, pushed Trowa out of the room, and shut the door to get dressed.  In about three minutes the door opened again.  Quatre stood there, fully clothed, and grinning from ear to ear.

               "That was quick," Trowa commented.  "So, what are you going to do?"

               "Anything, as long as it's outdoors," Quatre responded.  "Where is everyone?"

               "Heero's working in his room, Duo's out somewhere with Mina, Wufei's doing his shift at the arcade, and," he checked his watch, "come to think of it, "I should get going if I don't want to be late for mine."

               "I'll go with you," Quatre offered.  The two boys took their jackets and headed out the door, into the brisk winter air.

*                            *                            *

               "Mina?" Duo turned to her.  "Are you okay?"

               "Yeah," she said.  "Why?"

               "You've been kind of quiet today, that's all," he told her.  They'd been walking around the park for about a half hour now, sometimes talking, sometimes just enjoying being together.

               In truth, Mina had had something nagging at the back of her mind since the previous day, right after school, when she had heard two girls gossiping as they walked along.

               "I feel so bad for Tomoyo, don't you?" one had said.

               "I know," the other had agreed.  "With that face, do you think she'll ever get a boyfriend?"

               "I doubt it," the first had said.  "Unless he's blind."  They had erupted into giggles after her mean comment.

               Mina knew she shouldn't let them get to her; they were just obnoxious airheads.  Even so, she couldn't help feeling a little weird.  "Duo?" she said suddenly.

               "What is it?" he asked.

               Mina hesitated, then decided to say her feelings, because she didn't want to have any secrets from Duo, other than her secret identity.  "Would you still love me if I were ugly?"  There.  She'd said it.

               Duo looked surprised for a moment.  His face then turned serious, a rare event for him.  "Mina," he said, trying to find words to explain himself.  "I've loved you since that first moment we met, before I saw you, right when we ran into each other.  I didn't know it at the time, but looking back, I realized that it was almost like a certain light had drawn me to you.  In answer to your question, I would love you if you looked like a dead troll that a witch mutated with a toad."

               Mina smiled.  "Thanks," she said, feeling reassured.  "You're so sweet."

               "What about me?" Duo asked, his smile returning.  "Would you still love me if I weren't absolutely gorgeous?"

               "Of course," Mina replied teasingly.  "After all, I love you now, don't I?"

               "Hey!" he protested.  Mina laughed and kissed him.  They leaned closer, and were about to embrace, when a very freaky-looking, very annoyed woman stomped between them.  She had skin as white as paper, and black hair, eyes, nails, and clothing.

               "What the--?" Duo cried.  "Hey!  What the heck is  your problem?" he demanded angrily.

               "Who do you think you are?" Mina said.

               The woman glared at them.  "Alright.  You want the story?  All my minions failed, and I've spent the last two weeks raising my power as much as possible.  I don't intend to end up like my minions.  Now, let's have fun, shall we?"

               Mina gasped.  This woman was a Daimon!  "Duo, get out of here!" she cried frantically.  "Run!"

               But it was too late.  The Daimon had sent out a beam of dark energy at Duo, trapping him against a nearby tree.  He cried out in pain.

               "First, I think I'll take some of your life force," the monster cackled.

               The ring of dark energy around Duo tightened.  He could feel the beam burning his skin, and he could feel his life force draining away.

               "Duo!" yelled Mina.  "Let him go, you ugly hag!"

               "Who's going to make me?" the Daimon sneered.  "Your Heart Crystal is mine!"  The glowing object appeared in front of Duo.  He was released from his bonds and slumped to the ground.  His breath was shallow and uneven.  His face was ghastly pale.

               "DUO!" Mina screamed.  She forced back the tears threatening to overcome her.  "You'll pay for this!" she yelled at the Daimon.

               The woman smiled smugly.  "Oh, really?  What are you going to about it, girlie?  How is one pitiful little girl going to stop the great Hadesa?"

               "You don't know who you're dealing with," Mina hissed.  She held up her transformation wand.  "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER... MAKE-UP!"

               She was bathed in a familiar yellow-orange glow as her clothes were replaced with her Sailor outfit.  She didn't bother with a mask; Duo had already seen her transform.

               Duo watched the transformation.  His foggy mind recognized the Sailor outfit, and processed one thought before losing consciousness: _Mina's one of the Sailor Senshi?_

Sailor Venus watched Duo's eyes close.  "No!" she cried.  "That's it!" she said, turning to face Hadesa.  "You mess with someone I love, and you mess with me.  I am the soldier of love and beauty, and for hurting my loved ones, this goddess of love will destroy you!  I will throw down your punishment of love from heaven!"  She thought, _I'd better call the others.  _She started to turn on her communicator.

               Hadesa's eyes narrowed.  "So you're one of the Sailor nitwits, huh?"  Without warning, she lunged at Venus, snatched the communicator from her wrist, and smashed it into tiny fragments on the ground.  "Hah!" she cried triumphantly.  "Not so sure of yourself now that you can't call your little friends, are you?  Face it.  You're worthless without your whole team.  Besides, I've already stolen most of your boyfriend's energy.  Without his Heart Crystal, he'll be dead in minutes."

               Mina tried to stand firm and not let the fear that clutched at her heart show on her face.  _Don't panic, _she ordered herself.  _Stay calm._  She went into her attack.  "VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"  Her deadly golden beam raced at Hadesa.  The Daimon merely smiled and blocked it with one hand.

               "Now it's my turn!" Hadesa crowed.  "DARK ARROW STRIKE!"  A bolt of electricity shot out at Venus.  She moved quickly enough to avoid getting the full blast, but it caught her side, causing her to give a cry of pain.

               _I can't do this! _she thought frantically.  _I can't destroy her alone!_  Desperately, she wished for Amy's brains, or Lita's fighting skills, or Raye's instincts, or Serena's and the Outer Senshi's powers.  Any of them would be a major help right now.  _But you can't have them, _she told herself sternly.  _You'll just have to fight without them.  _Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Duo lying by the tree, each breath shallower than the last.  _Think of Duo.  You have to save him!_

Sailor Venus raised her chin defiantly.  "I will destroy you!" she yelled, ignoring the pain in her side.  The gem in her tiara started to glow.  "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!"  She could sense her power growing.

               "What is this?" Hadesa cried bewilderedly.  She started to go into her attack, ready to finish Venus off.  "DARK ARROW--"

               Venus knew that her power was at its peak.  Using all of her strength, she threw her attack at the Daimon.  "VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"  The attack collided with Hadesa head-on, and the last Daimon screamed and writhed, then disintegrated, going out like a candle's flame.

               Sailor Venus resisted the urge to collapse to her knees.  Instead, she ran to Duo.  She could no longer see the steady rise and fall of his chest.  She gently took his Heart Crystal out of the air where it floated, and replaced it in his chest.

               Nothing happened.  Venus watched anxiously.  Could it be too late?  "No," she whispered.  "It can't be too late!"  She felt a tear slide gently down her cheek, followed by another, then two more.  Soon, the tears were like a flood on her cheeks.  "Please, no,"" she sobbed.  "Please, no."

               Suddenly, she thought she saw movement; Duo's eyelids had twitched.  Was there still hope?  She held her breath.

               A few tense, suspenseful moments passed.  Venus again feared the worst.  Then, she heard a groan come from Duo's throat.  His eyelids slowly parted, revealing the clear blue beneath.  He struggled to sit up, and leaned against the tree.  "Mina?" he said hoarsely.

               "Oh, Duo!" Venus cried, bursting into tears once more.  She flung her arms around him.  "I'm so glad you're alive!  I thought...I thought that you..." A new wave of sobs overtook her.

               "Oh, God, Mina," Duo said.  "Please don't cry.  It's okay.  Why are you crying?"

               Venus calmed down.  "I was so afraid I'd never see you again," she said.  "I'm just so relieved that you're safe."  She stood up and offered her hand.  He took it, and she pulled him to his feet.

               Duo rubbed his head.  "What's going on?  I mean, you, and the Sailor Senshi, and those monsters..."  He tried to piece together what had just happened.

               "I guess I should explain some things, huh?" Mina said.  She walked to a nearby bench and de-transformed.  "Let's sit down," se said, following her own advice.

               Once Duo had sat down next to her, she sighed.  "Where should I begin?" she wondered.  Deciding to start at the very beginning, she very briefly outlined the story of the Silver Millennium and the Sailor Senshi.  When she was finished, she said, "Well, that's the truth, as crazy as it seems.  Please don't be mad that I didn't tell you.  I couldn't, you see?  If people knew who we were, they could be used by our enemies."  A look of sadness crossed her face.  "That happened to a friend of mine in England, and I don't want it to happen to anyone else ever again.  You understand, right?"  She looked at him anxiously.

               Duo nodded.  "Yeah, I understand."  He sighed.  "I know a lot about keeping secrets.  Mina, there's something I have to tell you."          

"What is it?" she asked, full of concern.

               He took a deep breath.  "Mina...I'm from the future."  He waited to hear her shocked response.

               None came.  Instead, she just laughed.  "Oh, is that all?" she said breezily.

               Duo was a bit taken aback.  "You mean you're not shocked?"

               "Of course not," she said.  "Surprised, sure, but not shocked.  That's not a big deal at all.  I was worried you were going to say something really bad, but being from the future?  Let me guess.  Setsuna sent you, right?"

               Duo could only nod.

               "Thought so," Mina remarked.  "Chibi-Usa's from the future, too, you know."

               "Serena's little cousin?" he remembered.

               "Actually, she's Serena's and Darien's daughter from the future," Mina said.  "Serena's going to become Neo-Queen Serenity, and Darien will become King Endymion.  Together, they'll rule the world from Crystal Tokyo.

               Duo blinked in confusion.  This was certainly a surprise.

               "So, what are you doing here in the past, anyway?" she asked.

               "Well," he started slowly, "Sailor Pluto wanted us to come back here to find the Sailor Senshi, er, you guys, and take you back to our time.  Apparently, Crystal Tokyo had been overthrown long before our time.  Some people are trying to start a new war between the Colonies and the Earth, and you need to travel to our time, free your future selves, and stop them."

               Mina looked puzzled.  "What do you mean by 'a new war?'  What are the Colonies?"

               Duo remembered that he was basically in a completely different world from his own.  He quickly explained about the Colonies and the Gundam War in A. C. 195, and about the roles he and his friends had played as Gundam pilots.

               By the time he was done, Mina looked stricken.  "Oh, Duo," she breathed.  "I can't even imagine what it must have been like, what you must have gone through.  You've suffered so much."

               "Hey, don't worry about it," Duo said, trying to sound nonchalant.  "It's all over now."

               Mina said nothing, but just looked at Duo through sad blue eyes.  Duo could tell his carefree smile wasn't fooling her.  "Really," he assured her.  "I'm fine now."  
               She shook her head.  "No, you're not," she said.  "Not really."

               "You're right," he confessed.  "But I'm happy with my life.  And I will be okay, with time."

               A small smile formed on her lips.  Then, quite suddenly, she leaned over and kissed him, and he kissed her back.  They pressed against each other.  Duo could feel a wetness on his cheeks where Mina's eyelashes, damp with her tears, had brushed against them.  They held each other close, wanting never to let go.  She leaned her head on his shoulder.

               They stayed like them for a long time.  Eventually, they pulled apart with a great deal of reluctance.  "Guess I'd better go tell the guys that I've discovered who the Sailor Senshi are," Duo said.

               Mina nodded.  "And I'd better go tell the girls the whole story."

               They stood up.  "So," Duo said.  "Should we meet each other tomorrow?"

               "Yeah," Mina said.  "Maybe, oh, I don't know, here around noon?"

               "Okay," Duo agreed.  "I'll see you then."  He started to walk off when something struck him as funny and he laughed out loud.

               "What is it?" Mina wanted to know.

               Duo smiled.  "I was just thinking that we make a weird couple: the god of death and the goddess of love."

               "Yeah," Mina agreed.  "But if all goes well, you'll never have to be the god of death again."

               "True," Duo said.  "But you'll always be my goddess of love."

               They exchanged one more kiss before going their separate ways.

*                            *                            *

               Duo walked into the house.  "Hey, anyone home?" he called.

               "Just me," came Heero's voice from upstairs.

               Duo walked up the stairs and to Heero's open doorway.  Looking in, he could see the Japanese boy clicking away at his laptop.  "Hey, Heero," Duo called.  "I've got something to tell you."

               "What is it?" Heero asked, never taking his eyes off the computer screen.

               Duo sighed.  "I've found the Sailor Senshi."

*                            *                            *

               "Wow," Raye murmured.  "Unbelievable."

               The Sailor Senshi were gathered at the Cherry Hill Temple, with the exception of Setsuna.  Mina had just repeated to them what Duo had told her.

               "So I guess we'd better start packing," Lita said.

               "Yeah," Michiru agreed.

               "Hi, guys, sorry I'm late," Setsuna greeted them, coming through the door of the temple.  "My professor needed to discuss my term paper with me.  What'd I miss?"

               "It's a long story," Mina said.  "But I think you know it already."

               Setsuna was was puzzled for a moment before understanding dawned in her mind.  "So," she said slowly.  "They found out.  Was it Duo?"

               "Yeah," Mina answered.

               "We leave tomorrow," Amy told her.  "You can do it, right?"

               "Of course," Setsuna answered.

               "What do you think the future will be like?" Amy wondered.  "I mean, from what Mina said, their time is radically different from ours."

               "Knowing you, Amy," Serena said, "you'll probably gush over all the technology."

               "Well, it _will _be a fascinating experience," Amy admitted.

               Everyone started talking excitedly about what they thought the future would be like.  Mina stayed uncharacteristically silent.  She couldn't honestly take part in the conversation, because the only thing she was looking forward to was spending more time with Duo.

*                            *                            *

               "I can't believe those girls are the Sailor Senshi," Wufei marveled.  After telling Heero, Duo had repeated his story to Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei upon their arrival.

               "Why?" Quatre said.

               "It's just that I expected the Sailor Senshi to be more, well, remarkable," Wufei said.  "No offense to Mina, Duo," he added hastily.

               "What about Haruka's racing talent?" Trowa said.  "Or Michiru's musical talent?  Or Raye's supernatural abilities as a priestess?  Or Amy's brains?  Or Lita's strength?"

               Wufei grimaced.  "Don't remind me.  But, yeah, I see your point."

               "What I can't believe is that they were right there, under our noses, the whole time," Quatre commented.

               "Yeah," Duo agreed.  In response to Wufei's earlier comment, he said, "And I happen to think Mina's very remarkable."

               "Yeah," Heero said.  "She's the only person I've ever met who's more cheerful than you are."

               "Her and Kelsey," Quatre said.  He gave a little shudder.  "That's one thing I won't be glad to go back to."         

               "Well, I'm looking forward to returning to the circus," Trowa said.

               "And we all know Wufei can't wait to see Sally, and Heero is drooling over the mere thought of Relena," Duo said mischievously.

               Heero and Wufei blushed and turned away.

               Duo laughed a bit.  The truth was, tease his friends as he might about their romantic interests, he wasn't exactly innocent in that respect.  He was secretly glad Mina was a Sailor Senshi; it meant that their good-bye would be delayed.

*                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *

Notes: Just one more chapter left!  Yes!  If you're still reading this, I commend your patience and thank you heartily.  As always, e-mail, but no flames.

FYI: Hmm, nothing, I guess.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fic, not Sailor Moon, not Gundam Wing, not anything that I may have mentioned in this fic and forgot to mention in this disclaimer.  Oh, wait, I DO own Kelsey.  She's mine, all MINE!  Do NOT use her without my permission!


	11. Mission Accomplished

Mission to the Past

Chapter Eleven: Mission Complete

               "Is everyone ready?" Sailor Pluto asked the group gathered in McKenna Park.

               Everyone nodded.  Yes, they were all ready.  The girls were all packed; each had brought enough to last her a few days.  Hopefully, that was all it would take.  The boys, having brought nothing, didn't need to pack.  Sailor Pluto had assured them that she would take care of all the legal affairs regarding the house they had stayed in.

               "Good," Sailor Pluto said.  She raised her Garnet Rod to the sky.  "Chronos, God of Time, open your gate to your loyal servant!"

               All of them were lifted off the floor a few inches before vanishing from this dimension completely.  They then found themselves in the fourth dimension, the Gate of Time.

               "Oh, not this again," Wufei groaned.

               Sailor Pluto smiled.  "Sorry."

               "Hey, where's the other Sailor Pluto?" Serena wondered.

               "I am both forms combined," the guardian of time responded.  "Now, you'll have to go through the Time Warp to After Colony 197.  You know the drill.  I'll meet you there soon.  Off you go!"  The immense doors opened.  Grabbing each other's hands, the group stepped through.

               Their passage was terrifying, dangerous, and rather loud.  Needless to say, they were all very relieved to say, they were all very relieved to see the doors leading to the girls' future, the boys' home.

               "Glad to see you made it safely," Setsuna greeted them.

               "Why can't _we _just zap instantly to our destination?" Serena whined.

               Setsuna smiled.  "Because you're not the guardian of time."

               They had arrived in a town, maybe a suburb to some major city.  The girls looked around eagerly and warily at once.  Some things hadn't changed: adults in suits still rushed back and forth, kids still played happily and noisily, teenagers still flirted shamelessly.  The signs in the store windows and on street corners were in Japanese.  The shops boasted of better technology than the girls had seen in their time: smaller laptops, faster modems, more useful gadgets, and cooler games on cell phones than people could have dreamed of so many years ago.

               "Where did you land us, Setsuna?" Haruka wanted to know.

               "A suburb outside of Tokyo," Setsuna answered.  "Quatre, I believe you have a summer home near here."

               "Do I?" Quatre said.  "Oh, that's right, I do."

               "Geez, how many summer homes can a person have?" Duo muttered.

               "Come on, it's this way."  Quatre said, walking off.  They followed him.  Amy wanted know detailed descriptions of all the new gadgets, which Heero obligingly provided.  The other girls were content top "ooh" and "aah" over them without knowing how they worked.  Haruka spent a full five minutes drooling over a motorcycle before the combined efforts of Lita, Heero, and Michiru managed to get her away from it.  Serena, Raye, Mina, and Lita marveled at the latest fashions.  Michiru enjoyed the pleasant surprise of seeing her CDs still in stores.

               The house wasn't far.  As they were entering, Quatre said, "It's a good thing Kelsey isn't here.  She's--"

               "My goodness, baby brother Quatre, I can't believe you're really back!"

               Quatre groaned as all-too-familiar arms wrapped around him and squeezed.  "Oh, hello, Kelsey."

               "Oh, are these your new friends?" Kelsey asked, releasing him and motioning towards the girls.

               "Yes, you could say that," Quatre said.

               "Oh, yay!" Kelsey squealed.  "I'm sure the others will love to meet them, too!  They'll be so happy you're back!"

               "Others?" Quatre said, puzzled.  But his confusion was quickly cleared as five familiar figures come into view.

               "HEERO!" Relena ran into the room and embraced Heero.

               "Duo!  You're back!" Hilde cried happily.

               "It's about time you guys came back," said Sally, giving Wufei a peck on the cheek.

               Catherine gave Trowa a hug.  "I'm glad you're back, little brother."

               "We've all missed you so much," Noin said.

               More people entered the room.  "Master Quatre!" cried about twenty Maguanacs, including Rashid.

               When everyone was finished introducing each other, and telling each other how glad they were to see them, Trowa thought to ask, "But how did you guys know we were coming?"

               "Setsuna called us, and we rushed over here as fast as we could," Noin said.

               Setsuna looked embarrassed.  "I came here several hours before you were destined to arrive," she confessed.  "I wanted you guys to have a warm welcome waiting for you."

               "Thanks," Duo said honestly.  The others also thanked her.

               "Think nothing of it," she said.

               "We cooked you a lunch," Noin said.

               "Oh, goody!" Serena cheered.  "I'm starving!"

               The Maguanacs brought out the lunch.  It was a huge gourmet feast, prepared with utmost care and love.  Everyone complimented the chefs.

               "We're just a few miles outside of Tokyo, right?" Chibi-Usa said after dinner.

               Everyone looked at her in surprise; it was the first time she'd spoken in a long while.

               "Yes, we are," Quatre said.

               "What's it like now?" Chibi-Usa wanted to know.

               Trowa shrugged.  "I honestly don't know."

               "Neither do I," Noin admitted.  No one else did, either.

               "We could go there, if you'd like," Quatre offered.

               "Okay," Chibi-Usa said.  She didn't look sad, but she wasn't excited, either.

               "How many cars will we need to take?" Raye wondered.

               "Let's see, there are…" Quatre did a quick head count.  "Twenty of us, so that's three in each van. "

               They headed out into the garage and separated into three groups: Haruka, Michiru, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Noin in the blue van; Duo, Mina, Serena, Hilde, Heero, Lita, and Sally in the red van; and Amy, Chibi-Usa, Setsuna, Hotaru, Raye, and Serena in the black van.

               "I'll drive," Haruka volunteered quickly sa her group piled into the van.

               "Okay, if you want to ," Quatre agreed.

*                            *                            *

               "I thought you could drive!" Quatre shouted accusingly.

               "I can!" Haruka said.

               "Then can you please go three seconds without having someone honk at us because you nearly ran them over?" Wufei cried.

               "Please, let me take the wheel," Noin said.

               "I'm fine!" Haruka insisted through gritted teeth.

               "But what about the rest of us?" Trowa said.

               "Where did you get your license?" Wufei asked.

               "Er, I, uh, don't remember," she stuttered.

               Quatre paled.  "Oh, no."

               "I've ridden in mobile suits safer than this!" Noin yelled.

               "Haruka, maybe you should let Noin take the wheel," Michiru suggested.

               "I told you, I'm fine!" Haruka said.

               "I knew this was a bad idea," Wufei groaned.

               "You drive more recklessly than most pilots I've met," Trowa complained.

               "Are you insane?" asked Noin.

               "No, I'm fine!" Haruka repeated.

               "Haruka, I really don't think this is safe," Trowa interjected.

               "Look, it's hard to drive with people screaming in my ear!" Haruka yelled.  That shut everyone up quickly enough.

               They spent the rest of the ride in silence, interrupted only once, by Trowa saying, "There goes another bush."

               Miraculously, they made it to Tokyo in one piece.  Everyone was extremely grateful to escape the car.  They stepped out.

               "Oh, no," breathed Raye.  "No way."

               The city had been turned into a military storage base.  Old or unused mobile suits and dolls lay in the center, where the Crystal Palace had once stood.  It was poorly kept.  There were houses and shops scattered around the center, owned by people who couldn't afford to live anywhere else.  They were ratty, and falling apart.  Two types of people roamed the streets: those who were angry, and stole and hurt, mostly teenagers; and those who were fearful, shooting scared glances at the center of town, as if it could explode at any moment.

               "Look," Raye said suddenly, pointing.  "That's where the temple used to be."  Her voice broke on the last few words.  What had once been the Cherry Hill Temple was now a shoddy casino and bar.

               Raye stared at it for a few seconds in horror and shock.  Then strong, bold Raye broke down in sobs.

               "Raye," Serena called.  Raye looked up.  Serena, too, had tears rolling down her face.  Together, the two girls cried.

               "All those places we knew so well," Lita murmured, fighting back the lump in her throat.  "The arcade, the mall, even the school."  The lump forced its way out, and she cried.

               Amy held out her arms to Lita.  They hugged, comforting each other.

               Hotaru had collapsed to her knees.  Haruka stood next to her, sharing her grief.  Michiru cried softly next to Haruka.  Mina sobbed on Duo's shoulder.

               Chibi-Usa stood apart.  She was very still.  Her only movement was the wind blowing her hair, and a steady stream of tears falling from her sad eyes.  Tokyo was the only home she had ever known.  To see it like this, with the Crystal Palace, her home, destroyed, was too much to bear.

               "Small Lady," a voice behind her called.

               Chibi-Usa turned around.  There stood Setsuna, arms open, waiting for Chibi-Usa.  Chibi-Usa ran to her.  Setsuna knelt down and held her tight.  Setsuna had never known Tokyo the way the others had.  The tears she shed were not for the loss of her home, but for her friends' grief.

               The others watched silently.  None of them knew what to say.  "I'm sorry" seemed so trivial for something like this.

               "Let's go," Sally said quietly.  Wordlessly, they went back into the car.

               The ride home was silent.  Everyone seemed a little shaken.  Even Haruka had been strongly affected, though she didn't show it; they could tell by the way her driving was calmer, and she didn't flatten any bushes.

*                            *                            *

               They all revived a bit after a few minutes.  By about a half hour after they reached the house, they seemed to be their old selves, but there was still a lingering sadness in their eyes.

               They talked about where the Sailor Senshi of this time could be, and how they would get to them, and things like that.  They had a delicious dinner, which Lita, Hilde, Catherine, Noin, and about twelve Maguanacs helped prepare.  Before they knew it, it was time to get ready for bed.

               "Okay, there are two very large bathrooms in this house," Quatre told everyone.  "The girls can use the bathroom to the left, and the boys will be to the right.  You can pick whichever room you'd like."

               They walked to their separate bathrooms.  The girls' bathroom was absolutely gigantic.

               "Wow, this place is huge," Raye remarked.

               "No kidding," Hilde agreed.

               "So, Relena," Serena said.  "What's going on between you and Heero?"

               "Nothing, unfortunately," she responded.  "We talk, and I know he loves me, but we've never done anything romantic, and we've never kissed."

               Serena was horrified.  "Never?  Why not?"  
               "I guess we're both afraid of what the other will think," Relena confessed.  "Besides, I can't.  He'd freak out on me."

               "So you're just going to wait around for him to make a move?" Lita asked.  "Forget it!  He's probably way too shy to even consider it."

               "Heero?  Shy?" Relena said skeptically.

               Raye nodded.  "He may be fearless on the battlefield, but he's probably a nervous wreck around girls.  He's not used to us."  She made a face.  "Yuck, I sound like a teen magazine."

               "Maybe you've got a point," Relena admitted.

               Hilde sighed.  "This is what we've been trying to tell you for ages now.  Can all of us be wrong?"  
               "Probably not," Relena said.  "Maybe I will do something."

               "Go for it!" Lita said enthusiastically.

               "Thank you," Relena said.

               "Hey, Hotaru?" Chibi-Usa said to her friend quietly.

               "What is it, Chibi-Usa?" Hotaru said.

               "Ho do you feel about Heero and Relena?" Chibi-Usa asked.

               Hotaru reminded herself that she shouldn't be surprised; after all, Chibi-Usa was her best friend, and they could see each other's feelings sometimes.  Naturally, Chibi-Usa would now about her crush.  "I'm glad he has someone to care about him like she does," she said truthfully.

               Chibi-Usa smiled.  "Good.  You're not unhappy."

*                            *                            *

               "Oh, wow, look at that moon," Mina said, looking out the window at the full moon in the starry night sky.

               "It sure is beautiful," Catherine agreed.

               "Yeah," Noin said.

               Amy stared at the moon.  She felt a sense of...something.  There was something nagging at the back of her mind.  Then it hit her.  "Oh, my gosh!" she cried, pulling out her mini-supercomputer and VR goggles.  She did a quick scan on the moon.  Sure  enough, there it was.  "Guys," she said excitedly.  "The  Sailor Senshi of this time are sealed within the moon!"

               "What?" Raye cried.

               "Amy, are you sure?" Serena said.

               "Yes, I am," Amy said.

               Haruka nodded.  "It makes sense.  Where else to seal the queen of the moon but the moon itself?"

               "So tomorrow, we'll start our journey," Michiru said.  "To the moon."

*                            *                            *

               "You guys be careful, okay?" Noin said.

               "We will," Quatre promised.  They were in Quatre's private shuttle, ready to take off for the moon.  Quatre was driving.

               "Trowa, if you get hurt, I'll never forgive you," Catherine warned.

               Trowa smiled.  "Okay, Cathy."

               "Say, where's Heero?" Wufei wondered.

               "Probably saying good-bye to Relena," Duo mused.

               He was right.  Heero was, in fact, in the house, saying good-bye to Relena.

               "Heero," she said.  "What are you going to do after all this?"

               He shrugged.  "Probably just go home."

               "I see," she said quietly.  She remembered Lita and Raye's words the previous night.  Taking a deep breath, she said, "I have something that I've wanted to do for a long time."

               She kissed him.

               Heero felt shock, excitement, confusion, and a thrill, all at once.  He kissed her back.

               "Well, are you still going to go home?" Relena asked.

               "On second thought, maybe I'll stick around for a while," he said.

               She smiled.  "Good.  And good luck on your mission."

               He smiled.  "Thanks."  He joined his friends in the shuttle.

               "Okay, everybody ready?" Quatre called.

               "Yes," they all chorused.

               "Then away we go!" Quatre said.  The shuttle took off.

               The Sailor Senshi, having never been in a shuttle before, found it a fascinating experience.  They talked excitedly, about riding in a shuttle, about the mission, and about everything else.

               Ironically, only Mina and Duo stayed silent.  They were savoring their last few precious hours together.

               At one point, Amy said, "You know, it's interesting.  The lifespan of people during the second Silver Millennium was a thousand years, and once Neo-Queen Serenity comes back to power, that's how it will be again.  However, the members of the imperial court had an even _longer _lifespan.  So within weeks, you guys and our future selves will have about the same life left."

               Mina felt her heart skip a beat.  She and Duo could be together!  "Duo," she said.  "Promise me something."

               "Anything," he said.

               "Promise me," she said, "that when the time is right, you'll come and find me.  Do you promise?"

               "Yeah," Duo said, confused.  "But what do you mean?"

               He had no time to find out, for they had landed on the moon.

*                            *                            *

               "So, you're sure this is the place?" Wufei asked Sailor Mercury.

               Mercury nodded.  She had located a spot on her computer from where they could teleport to the moon's core.  The Sailor Senshi had transformed and were ready to go.

               "Do you really think we can teleport with five extra people?" Mars wondered.

               "Normally, we couldn't," Mercury said.  "However, being so close to our selves increases our energy."

               "Okay," Sailor Moon said.  "Everyone hold hands!"  
               They obeyed.  The Sailor Senshi closed their eyes and concentrated.

               "SAILOR PLANET TELEPORT!"

               Instantly, they found themselves in very different surroundings.  The Sailor Senshi were a bit out of breath, but it had worked.

               "Where are we?" Heero wondered.

               The space was dimly lit.  How it was lit at all was a mystery, as there were no lights.  It was chilly and damp.  All around them were huge crystal formations.  Looking closer, they could see that within the crystals were the sleeping Sailor Senshi of A. C. 197.

               "Oh, man," Trowa murmured.

               "How do we wake them up?" Jupiter wondered.

               "I don't know," Mercury admitted.

               Sailor Moon peered at Neo-Queen Serenity, thinking how strange it was to see her future self.  Suddenly, the Imperium Silver Crystal began to glow.

               "Hey, guys," Sailor Moon said.  "Stand over your future self."

               They obeyed.  The jewels in their tiaras glowed, brighter and brighter, until it became a blinding light.  Everyone in the room shielded their eyes.  When the light subsided, they opened their eyes to see the adult Sailor Senshi standing.

               Everyone was rendered temporarily speechless.  Neo-Queen Serenity walked to the last remaining crystal formation and awakened its inhabitants, the three guardian cats.  Then she turned to the Senshi of the past and spoke.

               "Thank you for freeing us, Sailor Senshi of the past.  Sailor Pluto, thank you for bringing them here.  And ex-Gundam pilots, thank you for everything.

               "We have been kept informed of the world's status while in our cryogenic sleep by seeing it in our dreams.  We know the entire story.

               "We must be going.  The past and future selves must not exist in the same place for very long.  Thank you again, and good-bye for now."

               The adult Senshi formed a circle, as well as the queen, and the princess, who had grown up and now looked fifteen or so.  Before they teleported, Sailor Moon cried, "Wait!  What about Endymion?"

               Neo-Queen Serenity smiled.  "He was sealed inside the Earth.  Don't worry; I shall awaken him soon."  And with that, the adult Senshi teleported.

               There was a silence.  It was broken by Haruka saying, "Well, what are we waiting for?  Let's go already!"

               They formed a circle and prepared to leave.  "SAILOR PLANET TELEPORT!"

*                            *                            *

               Within hours, they were back on Earth, and the Sailor Senshi were packed and ready to go.  Relena had thanked them heartily for their romantic advice.  The boys had thanked them for helping, and they had thanked the boys.  Now all that was left was saying good-bye.

               "Duo?" Mina said as they walked down a path in Quatre's garden.

               "Yeah?"  
               "You won't forget your promise, right?" Mina said.

               Duo shook his head.  "Of course not.  I won't forget a single word you said to me."

               "I feel the same way," Mina said.  They reached a bench and sat down.  The trees were bare, and the flowers were long gone.  A bird sang in the distance.  It was serene, peaceful.

               "I don't want to leave," Mina said, looking at the ground.  The outlines of things blurred.  A tear fell to the ground, followed by many more.  "But I know I have to."

               "I don't want to say good-bye," Duo said.

               "It's so weird," she said.  "Our destinies are so different, but I feel as if we're meant to be together just the same."

               "We are," Duo told her.

               "Oh, Duo," she sighed.  They leaned closer and embraced.  The kissed, clinging tightly together.  Their tears mixed on their cheeks.

               "Mina," he whispered.  "I love you so much, it hurts."

               "I love you just as much, if not more," she said.

               "It's impossible for you to love me more," Duo said.

               "I feel like I'm saying good-bye to a part of me," she said.

               "Oh, Mina," he whispered, holding her tightly.

               They stayed like that for some time, listening to the wind rocking the bare branches, and the songbirds in the distsnce.

               When they finally let go, it was with much reluctance.  They walked to where their friends were waiting.

               "You ready?" Sailor Pluto asked her.

               Mina nodded.  "Yeah."  Secretly, she took something out of her pocket and let it fall to the ground.

               "Okay," Sailor Pluto said.  She held up her Garnet Rod.  "Chronos, God of Time, open your gates to your loyal servant!"

               The Sailor Senshi vanished, saying good-bye to the very last moment.

               Once they were gone, the others headed back into Quatre's house.  Quatre stopped to pick something up.  "Hey, what's this?" she said.  "Looks like Mina dropped this by mistake."  He handed it to Duo.

               It was a photo, in a golden oval frame.  It showed Mina in her school uniform.  Her hair was windblown, and her skirt billowed to one side.  She was smiling softly.  It captured her perfectly.

               Duo smiled.  "No," he said.  "It wasn't by mistake."

*                            *                            *

               "Hey, Mina, what's that?" Artemis asked her that night as she opened her bag to unpack.

               "I don't know," Mina said, taking the object out of her bag.  She studied it.  It was a picture in a square black frame of Duo.  His big blue eyes were laughing, but serious, too.  His grin was bright, and his braid was askew.  He was wearing his usual minister's outfit.

               Smiling, Mina placed it on her night table, facing her bed.  She would see his warm smile every night before she fell asleep, and his beautiful eyes would follow her into her dreams.

*                          *                            *                            *                            *                            *                            *

Notes: *Sniff* It's so sad!  I can't bear it!  I MUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO DUO'S AND MINA'S RELATIONSHIP!  That's why there's an epilogue.  That was the last chapter, but it's not over yet!  Don't worry, the epilogue's short, so if you've read this far, don't stop yet.  As always, e-mail me, but no flames!

FYI: About the lifespan thing...in the manga, it's true that, in the first Silver Millennium, the people of the moon had a lifespan of about a thousand years, and in the second Silver Millennium, the whole world had a lifespan of about one thousand years, but I'm not sure if the Imperial Court was longer.  For the sake of the fic, it's true.:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, I'm not making any money from this, and I don't have any money, anyway, so don't sue me!  I own Kelsey.  She is mine, and you can't use her unless I give you permission. 


	12. Epilogue

Mission to the Past

Epilogue

June 18, After Colony 202

Crystal Tokyo

               Duo walked briskly, reflecting on the day so far.  It was his birthday, and his friends had thrown him a great party.  The day had been absolutely wonderful, but there was one thing he wanted, no, he _needed _to do that would either make the day either perfect or terrible.

               As he walked, he noticed how much the city had changed since the last time he had been there, five years ago.  The Crystal Palace was a splendid sight.  Tall crystal spires rose into the air, glistening in the sunlight.  The atmosphere was happy and busy, but not rushed.  Thanks to the efforts of Neo-Queen Serenity, the Sailor Senshi, and Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darilan, it had become a beautiful city.

               Crystal Tokyo wasn't the only thing they had helped.  It seemed that everywhere, conditions had improved.  With the Preventors always on the lookout, there hadn't been so much as a threat of war in years.

               Duo turned a corner into McKenna Park.  After walking along the path for a few minutes, he found what he had come for.

               There was a figure sitting on a bench.  She looked like a young woman, but Duo knew he was much older than that.  Her appearance was made younger by the cheerful red bow that pulled her long golden hair out of her face.  Her icy blue eyes weren't looking at him.  She was wearing a simple yellow sundress.

               "I knew you'd be here," Duo said, breaking the stillness.

               Mina looked up and smiled.  "I knew you'd find me here."  Her eyes invited him to sit down beside her, and he accepted.

               "I watched your graduation, you know," she said conversationally.  "You didn't see me, but I was there, in the back.  I couldn't miss such an important day for you."

               "I didn't see you, but I knew you were there," he said.

               "I should've known you would," she said.  "Today's your birthday, isn't it?" she continued.  "I'm sorry I don't have a gift for you."

               "You could," he said.

               "What do you mean?" she asked.

               He sighed.  "Mina, I never met anyone like you.  I would meet girls, date them a few times, but I'd always stop, because I never felt about them the way I felt about you.  I never loved them."

               "I know how you feel," she said quietly.  "The same thing happened to me."

               Duo stood up and took a box out of his pocket.  Kneeling on one knee, he said, "I promised you five years or several centuries ago that, when the time was right, I'd find you again, and I've kept that promise.  Now, I'm asking you to promise me something that will make my life perfect."  He opened the box and held it out, revealing a gold ring with a topaz in the center.  "Mina, will you marry me?"

               Her eyes clouding with tears of joy, she stood up, pulled him to his feet, and kissed him passionately.  Then she held out her hand.  He slid the ring onto her finger, saying, "I'll take that as a yes."

*                            *                            *

September 27, After Colony 202

Crystal Palace

               It was a beautiful wedding, held in the Crystal Palace at Mina's request.  The hall was decorated with lovely white flowers.  Duo looked excellent in his tuxedo, and Mina was gorgeous in her white gown.

               Amy, Raye, Setsuna, Hotaru, and Relena were the bridesmaids, Lita was the maid of honor, and Chibi-Usa was the flower girl.  Heero was the best man, and Artemis turned human to give the bride away.  Neo-Queen Serenity had used up four handkerchiefs before the wedding was half over.  The rest of the guests didn't cry quite as much, but they did cry.  Even Wufei had a tear in his eye, though he later denied it.

               The priest was saying the vows they had written themselves.

               "Do you, Duo Maxwell, choose to be husband to Mina Aino, to love her eternally, to stay by her side forever, no matter what obstacles may enter your lives?"

               "I do," said Duo, smiling his biggest.

               "And do you, Mina Aino, choose to be wife to Duo Maxwell, to love him eternally, to stay by his side forever, no matter what obstacles may enter your lives?"

               "I do," Mina said happily.

               "I know pronounce you legally wed, and may you never be separated, even in death.  You may now kiss."

               They kissed.  There were tears of bliss streaming down their faces.  Then Mina turned her back and threw the bouquet, hoping it wouldn't hit anyone's head.  It sailed over heads...

               ...and into Relena's arms.

               "Heero, looks like you're next," Trowa said.

               Heero felt the color drain out of his cheeks and come rushing back.

               Neo-Queen Serenity hugged Mina hard.  "I'm so happy for you!" she sobbed.

               "So am I," said Artemis, still in his human form.

               "I just can't believe this is finally happening," Mina said, drying her tears.  "I'm finally Mrs. Mina Maxwell-Aino."

               "Neither can I," Duo said.  They looked at each other with love in their eyes.  Neither said a word, but their eyes spoke with a language stronger than words.

*                            *                            *

May, After Colony 212

Suburb Outside Crystal Tokyo

               "Did Daddy already kiss you goodnight?" Mina asked her seven-year-old daughter, Helen Maxwell-Aino.

               "Yep," the little girl said.

               "Okay, then," Mina said.  She kissed the little girl's forehead.

               "Can Artemis stay in my room tonight?" Helen asked.  "Please?"

               "Artemis, do you mind?" Mina asked.

               Artemis shook his head.  "Of course not."

               "Yay!" Helen said happily.  Artemis leaped onto the bed and curled up at her feet.  She shut her big Prussian blue eyes.  "Good night, Mommy."

               "Good night, sweetheart," Mina whispered.  She walked out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.

               "What are you doing?" she asked Duo as she entered the living room.

               "Just thinking about the two beautiful girls in my life," he said.

               Mina laughed and sat down on the couch next to him.  "She _is _beautiful, isn't she?" she said, picking up a photograph of their daughter.  "She's got your eyes, you know."

               "And your hair," he said.

               "And your favorite hairstyle."

               "And your nose."

               "Her smile's like both of ours, don't you think?"

               Duo considered this.  "Yeah, you're right."

               "I'm so happy for Heero and Relena, aren't you?" Mina said.

               "Yeah," he said.  "They'll finally have the happiness that we've had for the past seven years."

               "Have they chosen godparents for their kid yet?" she asked.

               Duo nodded.  "I don't know about the godmother, but the godfather is going to be me."

               "He made a good choice," Mina remarked.  "So did we.  Heero and Lita have so far proven themselves to be excellent godparents."

               "Yeah," he agreed.

               "We've been so lucky in our lives," Mina sighed.

               "I think we've done enough to deserve it," Duo said.

               "For the most part, I agree with you," Mina said.  "But I can't imagine what I ever did to deserve Helen and you."

               "Hey," Duo said.  "That's supposed to be my line."

               Mina smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.  "I don't understand people who are happy because they're just as much in love now as when they first met."

               "Why not?" Duo asked, puzzled.

               "Because I love you more every day," Mina said.

               "You've got a definite point there," Duo said.

               They spent a few minutes in silence, just enjoying each other's company.  Duo looked around the room.  He had really come to love this house, and living on the Earth.  He sometimes missed the Colonies,  
 but he visited often.  He still helped Hilde run the business, who was still on L2; she managed the labor, and he took care of the business affairs.

               After a few minutes of quiet reflection, Duo said, "Mina?"

               No answer.

               "Mina?" he tried again.

               Still no answer.

               He looked at her and smiled; she'd fallen asleep on his shoulder.  He thought happily to himself, _I guess some things never change._

************************************************************************************

The End

************************************************************************************

Notes: Well, that's it!  It's really the end this time!  That was my very first fic!  I actually finished it!  YEAH!  E-MAIL ME, PLEASE!  I'M BEGGING YOU!  Even if you've got nothing to say, just e-mail to let me know that someone actually finished reading this incredibly long fic.  Of course, I'd prefer it if you had something to say.  Tell me your favorite and least favorite things about it!  TELL ME ANYTHING!  (My e-mail address is: romancherubX@aol.com)

FYI: Duo and Mina's daughter was named after the nun in Duo's chapter of the Episode Zero manga.:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing, and I am not making any money from this.


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